Milana, Daughter of Mystery
by Ice Lynx
Summary: Kurt has a daughter, and only a few poeple know. Now his past is being brought up as he and his daughter's strengh are tested again and again by people out to destroy Nightcrawler and the Ghost... FINISHED!
1. Finding Milana

God help the fool that I am. I am already falling behind on several stories, yet it is impossible for me to stop coming up with new ones, aren't I the intelligent writer?  
  
Standard Disclaimer Applies; I do not own any X Men you recognize from anywhere, comic, movie, stories, whatever. Any you don't I do own, kkk? Well, here we go again...  
  
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"Hey, thought you'd get away did you?" A man growled. He glared at the cloaked figure lying huddled in the dark corner of an ally. He grabbed the person roughly, and the hood fell, revealing a girl no older than 15. She was not, however, fully human. Far from it, a vibrant purple fur coat covered her face, and a long bushy three foot tail was curled around her waist. The girl whimpered and weakly tried to pull away, but was dragged into the bright light of a street lamp.  
  
She raised her hands up to her blur eyes against the yellow glow of the lamp, they were not the normal five fingered hands of most people, but paws. The stubs of large claws were clear, but they had been sawed off messily. The girl's hair was short, a dark shade of blue, almost black.  
  
"Please!" she whispered, her voice was raspy and almost too soft to hear. Tears started to stream down the girls face and sobs shook her entire frame, her thin face looking unfed and her eyes looked sunken and worn.  
  
The man laughed coldly and yanked off the girl's cloak, revealing her skinny frame dressed only in a small bra and a thong. She grabbed the cloak and tried to pull it away, but the man only laughed harder, and raised a fist. The mutant saw the small club, but it was too late. The hand swung down and knocked the sobbing girl unconscious, she fell on the street with a dull thud.  
  
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(Two Days Later)  
  
"I've found another mutant, her location is a small town near Huston, Texas. There is some undercover work and danger involved... the girl is currently held by a mutant protest group." Professor Xavier watched as the familiar reactions of the X Men took place. Scott, the 'fearless leader', was looking eager to get the mission going. Ororo, the only woman on the senior team at the time, was looking concerned and interested. For Hank and Kurt, both blue furred and obviously mutants, knew that they would most likely not go. Logan, the gruff Canadian, was looking bored and uninterested.  
  
"Well, who's going?" he growled. It was easy to tell he was praying it wasn't him, but this job clearly needed him.  
  
"You -don't groan, it's not a punishment- and Scott." The professor replied.  
  
"What?" both men said at once in outraged and startled voices. They never got along, going on a mission together alone was clearly not going to work.  
  
"Fine then, Kurt, you go to."  
  
"Is she alright?" Ororo demanded. The professor shrugged.  
  
"I have no idea, but we have to act quickly. Her name is Milana Kendent, oh, and don't be surprised if her hands turn into paws." Said the Professor. Logan had been taking a sip of beer, and he choked on it when he heard the last comment.  
  
"What? She's got paws?" he asked. Professor Xavier nodded and then dismissed the X Men, Logan still grumbling about having to go on a mission with a Scooter and an elf. Two hours later the small group were preparing to land.  
  
"So where is she anyway?" Logan asked. Scott landed the jet and landed in a small dried up pond. It was hot and the sun was extremely bright as the three men locked up the jet and looked around. Off in the distance they saw a small town.  
  
"There, in one of the houses. I have a description of the place, a large two story place made of brick. Can you get us there a bit faster Kurt?" Scott asked. Kurt nodded and grabbed his friend's wrists, and with a loud bamf they disappeared in a puff of blue smoke. They reappeared about half a mile from the town, as close as Kurt dared to go.  
  
The blue furred mutant had to remain away from the town, it was completely full of mutant haters and protesters, it was these kinds of places that made Logan think Magneto had the right idea about some things. Kurt would meet them in two hours at the same spot, and hopefully they would have Milana by then.  
  
Cautiously Logan and Scott made their way into the town, taking note of the many signs that shouted out slogans like 'Mutants will be the Death of Everyone!' and 'Mutants are Devils, God Save Us'. Logan growled as one boy ran past them, screaming about a devil sighting somewhere in Huston. The response was almost frightening, several men armed to the teeth with guns, knives, and other weapons. One was even carrying what looked suspiciously like a box of grenades. They paid no attention to anything or anyone, jumping into several jeeps and driving off. They looked very ready for combat.  
  
"Wow, don't want to mess with that lot," Logan muttered. Scott nodded and carefully adjusted his sunglasses, this town was no place to waltz around in his visors.  
  
"There it is," Scott said, he pointed at a building that was bigger than the normal one story house. It looked like it could be haunted, and the only people hanging around it were fully grown men, menacing and all carrying guns. They glared at Logan and Scott suspiciously as the two made their way up to the house. It looked like a bar from the outside, and several men walked in and out of the place as the two X Men approached, so they just walked in.  
  
It was indeed a bar, the smell of smoke and liquor was almost overwhelming, but there was something else in the air that even Scott could feel. Fear, anger, adrenaline. The glares and look-overs both men received were wary and not hidden, this town was extremely open. Logan was usually in a good mood in a bar, but this one was so intense even he was uneasy, he could only imagine how the uptight, straight Scott was handling it.  
  
The two made their way over to the bar in the back, where a mean looking bartender eyed them suspiciously and refused to serve them until he had asked a few questions.  
  
"So where d'ya come from?" he asked. Scott let Logan handle this, not being as practiced a liar as the older man.  
  
"Up north, from Vermont," he replied.  
  
"And what brings yeh here?  
  
"Search of kindred spirits," Logan said. The bartender raised his eyebrows, so Logan continued. "Where we come from, yeh so much as mutter one curse at the mutant devils and you'll get blamed for being racist, and social exile fer a while. I want to be able to hit some of that scum, they shouldn't be alive. I have doubts they even have feelings," Scott was trying very hard to not growl, but he managed to keep a straight face. Logan had put up a splendid performance, and within five minutes he had convinced not only the bar tender but also every man around the two.  
  
Suddenly, about half an hour after Logan and Scott had arrived, the doors to the bar burst open and a man stepped in, grinning.  
  
"We got her, men!" he shouted. The men in the pub watched eagerly and started to smile. "The little bitch didn't get that far," he laughed. Stepping aside from the door it was thrown open again, and a purple blur shot through it. It was a girl, purple fur, seemingly black hair, and a bushy tail. Scott blushed and Logan shifted uncomfortably when they realized that she was wearing only very skimpy underwear. A few more men marched through the door, and the girl whimpered as they moved towards her again.  
  
Her hands and feet were tied, and a gag was placed firmly in her mouth, and the skinny girl seemed to desperate to get out of the bar, when she couldn't get past the men she tried to crawl beneath a table. Laughing one of the men grabbed her and pulled her out, kicking her hard in the stomach. Instantly she curled in a defensive ball, receiving more kicks and jeering from the men. It was incredibly hard for Logan and Scott not to instantly jump up, kill the men, and grab the girl and get out of there, but these men were all armed and a whole town in their way if they did.  
  
"Heya, whose this?" One of the men asked, pointing at Logan and Scott. The girl seemed to be forgotten for a moment as she lay sobbing softly on the dirty floor of the pub.  
  
"Some men from Vermont," the bartender replied. "Don worry, they're in the right mind." But this seemed to not satisfy the men.  
  
"Yeah? Then they can prove it. Why don't yeh come up with a suitable punishment fer this devil?" one asked. His friends agreed with loud yells and laughter. Logan and Scott glanced at eachother, this was getting dangerous.  
  
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I am really getting bad at cliffies, sorry y'all. Well, hoped you liked this chapter, but I won't know until you leave me a review, which you will, right? Ha ha, you better, cause if ya don't, well, I'll think of somethin teh punish yeh, lol. 


	2. Escaping Elington

"Er, sure," Logan said hesitantly. He stood up slowly, looking at the huddle form on the floor and aware that every eye was on him, even the girl. She had multiple cuts on her face and body, and her eyes were filled with tears, staring fearfully at the guff looking man above her.  
  
"So what're you gonna do, Vermont boy?" one man asked. Logan blinked, then scowled. He was definitely not going to hurt the kid any more than she already was, that was the pathetic thing. He was here to save her not beat her. This was definitely the girl the X Men had been sent after, Milana or whatever her name was. Suddenly an idea hit Logan, and he grinned wolfishly at the men, giving the thumbs up to Scott and hoping he understood.  
  
"This," he growled, leaping backwards he snatched Scott's glasses and yanked them off, instantly a bright red burst of light emitted. The cry of outrage was so loud it nearly defend Logan as he quickly grabbed Scotts head and aimed it. Surprisingly enough Scott was louder than the others.  
  
"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?" he screamed, though he kept his eyes open. In about fives second every man in the pub was laying on the floor, dead or close to it. Milana herself had crawled under a table and was curled in an even tighter ball, her hands up to her face. Logan placed Scott's glasses back on and moved the table aside, looking down at the girl.  
  
"You ok?" he growled. The girl uncovered one eye and looked at him, then slowly put her hands down. Logan helped her to her feet, then realizing she was still barely covered he looked around, grabbed a trench coat from a coat rack and handed it to her.  
  
"Logan, we're going to have half the town on us now! Why'd you do that?" Scott demanded angrily.  
  
"You had a better idea? I didn't hear you say anything." Logan replied, equally angry. The teen was just looking back and fourth from Logan to Scott, obviously terrified out of her wits. Scott sighed and stood up, starting to pace back and fourth.  
  
"Well, now what are we going to do?" Scott asked.  
  
"If we could get Kurt, he could come pick up the kid..." Logan said, thinking. Suddenly the girl bolted out the door, knocking over a startled Logan and slamming through the door of the bar.  
  
"Shit!" Logan yelled, racing after her. Scott let out a stream of curses and followed him. The girl seemed to not be slowed down at all by her lack of decent clothes and injuries, she streaked down the street past startled towns people and with Logan and Scott on her heels. Several men joined in the chase, and more people yelled encouragement at the two, obviously thinking they were trying to recapture her.  
  
The girl was in sight of the edge of town, and the desert seemed to give her extra speed. Suddenly she bent over, and to Logan and Scott's amazement she began running on all fours, her hands and feet now large, furry paws that stretched further out until she was nothing but a purple streak moving three times faster than any of the chasing men could hope to run.  
  
Around the corner of one last building Logan, who was in the lead of the pursuers, saw the kid streak around the corner... and crash straight into Kurt. Both of them cried out in surprise and landed in a heap. Logan ran and grabbed the girl, pulling her upright. She struggled and kicked at him, her skinny legs surprisingly powerful, but still not strong enough to break Logan's hold on her arms.  
  
"My god, I suck at this," he growled. The girl stared at him, her face a mixture of pain, fear, and total confusion. Scott caught up and helped Kurt to his feet, then spun around and faced the few men who had kept up. They froze when they saw Scott help Kurt up, and suddenly five pistols were aimed at the small group.  
  
"What the hell? Mutants!" growled one. The girl seemed to forget she was being held by Logan; she suddenly went limp and was unable to take her wide eyes off of the pistols. Logan was completely unprepared ad let go, the girl fell to the earth and tried to back up, but seemingly was unable to move. Logan slowly turned around and glared at the men.  
  
"Get outta here," he growled. The men seemed to find this funny.  
  
"Or what?" one said. Suddenly six foot-long claws shot out of Logan's knuckles, scaring the teen as much as the men.  
  
"Or I'll gut yeh," Logan said. One man turned and ran, and the rest seemed ready to bolt also, though the one that was speaking, a big burly man, showed only small traces of fear. He was the only one who was holding his pistol remotely steady.  
  
"Fine then, ya can go, but only if ya give us the demon," he said.  
  
"Oh, demon is she?" Logan asked, taking a step towards the men. Another bolted, but the rest aimed their guns at him.  
  
"Yeah, and we caught her. She's ours, rightful property of Elington, Texas. We would like her now," the man said. At this Scott spoke up, about to march forward and held back by Kurt.  
  
"She is not anyone's property, mutants are as free as you," he said. The men sneered at him.  
  
"Oh really? The man asked. Scott glowered at him, but suddenly he laughed. "Well, that demon o' yours sure is free, mah, you won't even be able to see 'er in a few minutes I wager,"  
  
"What?" Scott, Logan, and Kurt spun around to see that the girl had found her legs, and was streaking off as fast as she could across the bare landscape.  
  
"Shit," Logan said again. He looked from the men to the girl, who was getting closer to where the jet was hidden. The men laughed, causing the X Men to look at them again.  
  
"Any of you move, you're all dead," one said. Suddenly Kurt vanished, and one man, who was more jumpy and fearful of the mutants, shot at Scott. However he was shaking so badly the bullet hit Logan in the leg. The Canadian yelled in pain, though the bullet reappeared and fell to the ground, and the bullet hole itself healed instantly, but it still hurt. The men looked even more startled and then emptied their guns on the man, who charged at them, his claws raised.  
  
Meanwhile the girl was running as fast as she possibly could, when suddenly she heard a loud bamf, and the blue furred man that she had crashed into earlier appeared right in front of her. With no time to stop or react she once again plowed into him, and again both crumpled in a heap. But this time Kurt was ready, he leapt up and pinned her down, though he smiled reassuringly. The girl stared at him with a mixture of fear and amazement, she had never seen someone who looked like Kurt.  
  
"Are you Milana?" he asked, a heavy German accent seeming to fit perfectly with his looks. The girl blinked, her eyes still wide with fear and breathing hard from running. She never answered, but Kurt noticed her paws had shrunk back into slender hands with long fingers.  
  
Something about this girl was oddly familiar, though Kurt couldn't quite get an idea of where he had seen her. Milana too seemed to recognize the man holding her down, and for a moment the two stared at eachother when suddenly they heard shouts and a roar of pain, followed by several loud gun shots. Then more screaming, but it was more fearful yelling than pain. Kurt looked once more at Milana and then vanished with another bamf and puff of blue smoke.  
  
"Damnit Scooter! Some help would have been a help!" Logan yelled, raging as bullets fell to the ground and wincing at the same time as his regenerative skills kept him from looking completely like a piece of raw hamburger. Suddenly Kurt appeared between the two, just as Scott retorted.  
  
"Well I couldn't get a clear a clear shot because you were right in the way killing them all!" It was true, only one man, the one who had ran earlier had escaped, the rest were laying lifeless at Logan's feet as he closed his eyes and growled, waiting for his wounds to completely heal.  
  
"Where is the girl?" Scott asked suddenly. Kurt looked back at the jet, wondering if she had run again, but something inside him told him she was still there. Instead he grabbed the men's shoulders and teleported them back to the jet, where Milana had gotten to her feet and was looking extremely unsure of whether to run or stay, she had no clue as to who these three men, all obviously mutants, were, or why they had come and fought off the mutant hunters who had caught her for the ninth time in the last month.  
  
Scott looked at her and spread his hands open, showing he had no weapons or anything in them. Milana backed away a step, drawing the trench coat over her tightly. She also looked Logan over, but he was still waiting for the last minute scratches to heal, so he paid no attention to her at all.  
  
"Are you alright?" Scott asked, looking concerned. This was a unexpected question, since when had anyone cared about how she felt? Milana just looked blank when Logan replied stupidly.  
  
"Not too good, kinda happens when you get shot twenty ties in the chest." He said. Kurt smiled and then looked at Scott.  
  
"Should ve be going?" he asked. Off in the distance the mutants could hear cars approaching.  
  
"Yes," Scott said, looking behind him. Then he turned his gaze to the teen, who was not looking as scared anymore, it was clear they weren't going to jump on her right then. She was now looking at them curiously, but soon she also seemed to hear the cars, and a look of pure terror spread across her face again, and she started to stumble backwards. Kurt immediately took a step towards her, his hands also in the air.  
  
"No, vait," he said. Milana looked at him. "Ve can help you, there is a place vere you vill be safe," he said. Still Milana said nothing, backing up until she ran into the jet.  
  
"We need to be gone now," Logan said, completely recovered and watching the distant specks of cars traveling towards them.  
  
"Trust us, we're here to help," Scott said gently. Slowly the girl nodded, still looking unsure but also mortified of the approaching vehicles. The ramp extended and Scott walked up it, followed by a reluctant Milana, Kurt, and a still-growling Logan. Once everyone was buckled in -Milana was in the very back seat away from the other three- the jet took off, just as the cars below reached the site. Several men shot at the jet, but it was rising so fast they all missed, and soon the plane was nearly out of sight.  
  
For several hours the four mutants flew in complete silence, every so often one of the X Men would look back at the teen, who appeared to be in a meditative state, through her hands had a death grip on her restraint. When finally the school came in sight it was twilight, and Scott landed the plane in its hanger he stood up and turned to face Milana.  
  
"Welcome to Professor Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters."  
  
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Oh, well, it could go on, but I'm too tired to continue. In the future I need to not stay up till 3am to write, yawn. Lol, review please and next chapter is coming... 


	3. She's Strong

Quick note; I am going to be changing POVs from time to time, don't worry I'll tell you when I do. If I say NPOV it means no point of view, told from God's POV I suppose, lol. NPOV will be full of the different feelings from all the characters. Ok, to the story. Ha ha.  
  
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(Milana's POV)  
  
"Welcome, I'm glad to see you're alright," the old man looked at me. I said nothing, he was obviously a telekinetic so there was no point in me saying anything if he already knew my answer. II still hadn't said anything, I haven't spoken a word that wasn't along the lines of 'please' or 'don't' or once in a great while 'help' in several years, there had been no reason to. I often wonder why I even bother saying those three words, they fall on deaf ears to anything along the lines of mercy or humanity.  
  
If someone ever talked to me, they would probably dub me the weakest, most pathetic thing they've ever seen. They would probably shrug if they heard I had problems, some bad memories that made me the sniveling, terrified wreck I am today and mention that everyone has problems. I am a weakling, to everyone that doesn't consider me a plague or devil that is.  
  
If you heard someone mention I was a pathetic loony then you'd probably be in the right to believe them; I haven't fought my captors in over a year, and I'm almost a mute I suppose. I'll run at the sight of cars approaching me in the desert, and I was pathetic when these strange guys called the X Men came and rescued me (I'm still wondering who they are and why they want to help me of all people), most people would fight back, bite their lip and probably die fighting the men who 'owned' them. Not me though, I curl up in a ball and let worse things then being beaten to death happen to me, I'm too weak to even get away when I've had the chance at freedom nine times.  
  
I am a weakling, a pathetic little girl who can't even see cars coming at her without wetting herself. Damn me. I hate myself for it, for not talking, for not fighting, but I always duck out when it's time to prove to myself and anyone else that I'm not as hopeless as I seem, because I am.  
  
Now I'm here, standing in an office facing a mutant who probably knows my whole life history and exactly what I was thinking right then, dressed in nothing but a thong and a bra (I was lucky to have that much when the two 'Vermont boys' arrived) covered in a trench coat, which I had wrapped as tight as I could. I still have no idea whatsoever about who these guys are, where this place is, or why I was here. I was still in shock with having just been recaptured (damn my inability to get away, damn damn damn it) and being dragged back to be rescued by three mutants, one of which I know from somewhere, even if neither he nor I (never spoken but apparent anyway) remembered where exactly we had seen eachother.  
  
The old man said something about staying there and getting some decent clothes, but I was still thinking about the blue furred man. Where had I heard that voice before?  
  
Then the old man seems to realize I was in deep thought, and he chuckles. Suddenly the guy with the red sunglasses, god that laser thing had scared the shit out of me in the bar, came in, accompanied by a woman I hadn't seen before. She was dark skinned, with long straight white hair. She was smiling at me, I couldn't figure out why. What was with these people? Apart from blue man I had no wisps of connection with any of them, and that was a faint distant one. Maybe I had seen him on TV, I have no idea. So if I didn't know anyone here, and no one knew me, why were they acting as if I was their lost cousin or something?  
  
But I stared at the woman, more specifically her mouth. It had been so long since a woman had smiled at me, so long since anyone had smiled at me without the intention to beat or rape me.  
  
"Hello, my name is Ororo," the woman said. I barely heard her, only realizing I was starring when her smile faltered slightly and I realized I was making her uncomfortable. I lowered my eyes and cursed at myself for starring, whoever these people were they seemed to have good intentions. And that man, why were my thoughts always going back to him? Those eyes, that fur, the German accent. They were so familiar, yet I couldn't place them at any time in my life, I couldn't remember where I knew them from of what they were to me.  
  
*****  
  
(Professor Xavier's POV)  
  
Remarkable. This girl thought she was weak, yet from what I could see of her life she is probably one of the strongest teenagers I have seen in a while. A mute, besides a once in a while plea, it was going to be hard to get her to talk, she may never anyway, but she did think, a lot. A wandering mind also. Usually when a child comes here for the first time they are full of questions, eager to learn about the school and paying attention to everything anyone says to them, yet this girl gets lost in thought so easily she didn't even realize I had told her that she could stay here if she wanted, I doubt she heard anything I said.  
  
She was lost in thought about Kurt, it was projecting very strongly. Somehow she knew him, but she doesn't know from where or when, and it was frustrating her. She had heard his name, but shoved it aside and almost forgotten it. I'm sure that Kurt thinks he has seen this girl before, but like her he has no idea from where or when.  
  
And she had been thinking about Ororo. Her smile, more like. I felt a great wave of pity for this girl, who was distracted so much by a simple smile from a woman. And the shame of making her feel uncomfortable. Milana felt no connection to anyone in the school besides Kurt, and she still didn't understand why we had rescued her, and she was wary, even though she was grateful. It was clear that helping her to heal from her past was going to be extremely difficult.  
  
"Storm, why don't you take Milana to a room and find her something to wear, I don't think it would be too good to let her walk around in that trench coat," I said. Storm smiled again, nodded, and held the door open for the girl who just starred at it, unsure of what to do.  
  
"Would you like to come with me?" Ororo asked. Milana hesitantly followed her out of the room, and then Scott turned to face me.  
  
"Alright, what exactly is wrong with that girl?" he asked. I sighed.  
  
"She's been a slave of that town you rescued her from for a bit over two years, and she's been used for more than a servant," I said. Scott looked angry as the realization dawned on him.  
  
"I hope Magneto destroys that town," he muttered bitterly. This was one of the few times I agreed with this kind of statement, there was no excuse for what those people did to the girl. Eric would be furious if he found out about the town, and without a doubt attack the place.  
  
*****  
  
(Milana's POV)  
  
Good Lord, this place is huge! At least ten times bigger than the bar, but probably even bigger than that. The woman with white hair led me down several hallways and finally she stopped outside a large wood door that was almost identical to every other door I had seen so far. She opened the door and revealed a large bedroom with a bed, dresser, chair, and two more doors in it. I almost threw up when I saw the bed, and instantly I started to pray that only I would be using this room. But it would be so typical if I wasn't, the people who rescued me using me just like my 'owners', figures.  
  
The woman, Ororo, walked inside and opened one of the doors, revealing a large closet. She also opened the other one, which turned out to be a bathroom.  
  
"Here are some clothes," she said, holding up a pair of baggy jeans and a T- shirt. "The bathroom has all the toiletries you might need, and there is a cafeteria downstairs. Are you hungry?" I was still stuck on the clothes. Who were these people? Did they just go rescue losers and bring them here for fun or what? Then I realized she had asked me about food. A sharp twinge in my stomach dared me to refuse, but I nodded.  
  
"Well, then you can go change if you would like, and I'll wait out here. Then we can go get something to eat," Ororo said, and held out the clothes to me. I slowly took them, they looked about the right size. Then I went into the gleaming white bathroom and shut the door, taking off the trench coat that the old bartender used to wear all the time. I pulled on the clothes and found they fit me perfectly, and even had a hole in the back of the panes the perfect size for my tail to fit into, which was a relief. I looked at my reflection in the mirror, and just gazed at it for a moment.  
  
I hadn't seen myself in over a year, and it was hard to gaze at the purple furred face that stared back at me, a mutant. Then I realized I had some blood on my face, old and dry, clinging to my fur. I looked around and found a washcloth and some soap, and scrubbed the blood off. Then I carefully replaced everything and dried my face, feeling a little better.  
  
Then I walked out of the bathroom, throwing the trench coat in the closet, and looked at Ororo.  
  
"You look very nice," she said. "Now how about some food?" I nodded dumbly and followed her out. Sometimes I wish I had the courage to talk.  
  
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Well, now that some of her history is revealed, what are we going to do? Heeheehee, and what is her connection with Kurt? Blue and purple, interesting colors. Whatever, review, good or bad, maybe guess what you think the relationship is between the blue guy and the purple girl. Short chapter, I know, don't kill me. Well, 2 am calls for sleep, c ya l8er! 


	4. Nightmare Memories

This thing; ~~~~~~~~~~, means the beginning or end of a dream. To the Story.  
  
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(Milana's POV)  
  
Dreams are frightening, always. Mine are anyway, I dream about my past or nothing at all. Thankfully I stopped having dreams the last few weeks or so, or I'd probably never let myself sleep. So after Ororo had taken me to get some food and introduced me to several people (I just starred at them, I don't like to shake hands with people, physical contact fears) and I had returned to my room I tried to get some rest. Ah foolish little me.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~  
  
I giggled as the blond haired woman covered her eyes and then took away her hands fast, making a face and saying "Peekaboo!". Her face was blurry, I could only make out her hair color and the fact that she had a soft creamy color skin, but I knew who she was.  
  
"Mamie!" I said, laughing as she tickled my purple stomach. I laughed harder, and being only four, tried to crawl away. Then, suddenly, a crash sounded. My mother's head jerked up as a small green object flew through the kitchen window and landed a few feet away. My mother screamed and wrapped her body around mine when the small object blew up. Darkness...  
  
FLASH!  
  
"Over here! No you idiots, over here! My god, what the hell is that?!" a voice yelled after me as another bullet shot by. I ran as fast as I could, my paws appearing and allowing me to go on all fours and run even faster. But how was I, a little kid maybe ten years old, going to outrun a bunch of gun wielding men? They thought I was an animal until one saw my purple cloths, and realized I was not the 'beast' of the woods, but a little girl. Now their courage was doubled, and their motorcycles reved as they slowly caught up...  
  
FLASH!  
  
"You little bitch, does this look dusted?" A woman's scream filled my head as she kicked me repeatedly.  
  
"I'm sorry, I'll fix it!" I cried. That was the last day my vocabulary consisted of more than three words. That was the fifth time I nearly died since being sold as an animal by the mutant hunters to the town of Elington, but I never really counted the time my home was blown up and burned, when my mother had thrown herself in the way of the blast to protect me.  
  
FLASH!  
  
Music... no lights, but the strong scent of men everywhere, laughing as me and my only friend, another mutant named Screen, was surrounded. The first night of a hell I never imagined existed, the last night I saw Screen alive.  
  
Men everywhere, laughter, beer, kicks and punches, a rope around my neck, a man on top of me, pain everywhere. Pain, fists, feet, darkness...  
  
"Bitch!"  
  
"Devil!"  
  
"Stay still, Dog, or I'll beat the worthless crap outta yeh!" Screams, my screams. All I could hear after that.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~  
  
I woke up screaming, the covers on my bed wet with sweat. I was scared out of my wits and when the door slammed open I flipped over the side and rolled under it, sobbing and curling into a tight ball.  
  
"Milana? Are you alright?" Who was that? It sounded like that woman, Ororo. I immediately started to quite myself, still crying too hard to look up but forcing my gasps for air to be silent gasps. "Milana?" Go away, don't bother me now. Go away you, this isn't the time for a smile or nice face, this was the time to curl up in a dark space and cry about my mother, something I haven't done in many years. Turn off the light and go away.  
  
"Vat's going on?" No, not him, not the man I can't place. Go away, go away, go away...  
  
"It's Milana, my god she's talking!" Go away, go away, go away...  
  
"Milana? Are you alright?" A small thud, like someone getting on the floor. A hand on my shoulder, I stopped sobbing and jerked away so hard and sudden I rolled backwards and out from under the bed. Not even pausing to think I bolted for somewhere, ended up in the bathroom, and slammed the door shut, locking it. I heard a gasp of pain, but I collapsed right then, and once again got lost in tears and memories.  
  
(NPOV)  
  
"Kurt, are you alright?" Ororo cried, rushing over. Kurt danced around for a moment, his hands clamped on his nose when a few drops of blood came out.  
  
"I'm fine!" he said, even as his voice was muffled by his hands and he winced slightly. He had run straight into the door as Milana had slammed it shut. Ororo looked at the locked door of the bathroom and then at Kurt, as more blood started to drip out of his hands.  
  
"You need to get down to the med-bay," she said. She was still in shock that the mute girl had spoken, though it seemed unintentional. Go away, go away. Her voice was so rasp and quiet, as if it belonged to someone on their deathbed. So she wasn't a complete mute like everyone had thought... At the mention of leaving the room Kurt shook his head.  
  
"No!" How could he just go? Something was haunting her, and he was not going to leave because of a nosebleed. He grabbed a few tissues from the dresser and held them to his nose, which continued to bleed. There was something about this girl that he couldn't quite place, had he seen her somewhere? She looked so familiar...  
  
"Kurt," Ororo began. Just then Logan and Scott showed up, looking incredibly sleepy and agitated.  
  
"What's up?" Logan growled. "Why are you all her in the middle of the night? Wait, what happened to you, elf?" he said, noticing the blood pouring out of his friend's nose. Scott looked anxious and suddenly very alert.  
  
"Was there an attack? Where is Milana?" he asked. Ororo pointed at the door.  
  
"I came in here when I heard her screaming, she fled and slammed the door on Kurt. She spoke."  
  
"What?!" Scott said. "What did she say?"  
  
"Go avay," Kurt said, glad to see the bleeding lessen slightly. Logan growled.  
  
"Hey bub, we have every right to be here, she woke us up to." He said. Ororo smiled slightly.  
  
"No, that's what Milana said," she told the men.  
  
"She told you we had every right to be here?" Scott asked, confused. Ororo laughed softly.  
  
"No, she said go away."  
  
"Oh," said the two mutants. Scott shook his head slightly, trying to wake his sleepy wits. Logan seemed to be trying to do the same thing, but his way was hitting himself couple times on the head as hard as he could.  
  
"So Milana screamed, told you to go away, and then hit Kurt in the nose with the door?" he asked.  
  
"Pretty much, but I still don't know why she screamed in the first place," Ororo said. Logan looked at the bed, noting the covers and sheets were tangled and damp with sweat, he knew what was wrong.  
  
"Nightmares, the kid's havin nightmares," he said. He walked over to the bathroom door and pressed an ear against it, his keen hearing managing to get the faint sounds of sobbing coming from the room. He sighed. "Whatever's buggin her still has her upset," he said. Kurt walked forward and knocked softly.  
  
"Milana?" he called. "Are you alright? Open the door, please!" But no answer or more sounds could be heard.  
  
"Alright, I think it's time we open the door. Logan, can you do it without scarring the girl any more?" Scott asked. In response Logan extended one claws into the lock on the door, and the whole knob fell off in two halves. A startled gasp was heard and some scuffling noises, and Logan backed off to let Kurt through, who startled all of them by racing in as soon as the door started to swing open.  
  
Milana was huddled in a corner, her eyes wide and bloodshot. She was still shaking and her face was wet with tears, which were still pouring out of her eyes, though now completely silent. She was pressed against the wall and had her knees drawn up tightly to her chin, and she winced visibly as Kurt rushed in, followed by Ororo and Scott.  
  
"Milana?" Kurt asked. No answer, just a fearful stare and a shudder. The blue furred man stepped closer, kneeling down. "Are you alright?" he asked softly. Nothing, she wasn't even opening her mouth.  
  
(Milana's POV)  
  
That does it, no more talking. Ever.  
  
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Well, too tired to continue. Please review, and I'll think about another chapter, lol. 


	5. A Month and a Mute

Ok, so now I'm going to jump ahead a month to keep y'all from being bored out of your minds. I really appreciate the reviews I've gotten so far, please let more come!  
  
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(NPOV)  
  
"Milana? Are you awake?" Ororo called. Then, remembering that she wouldn't get an answer, she opened the door a crack and peered in. Milana was indeed looking more alive than Ororo, dressed in her usual baggy jeans and T- shirt. She still didn't wear shoes, her furry feet seemed tough enough to withstand anything sneakers or boots could.  
  
"Are you coming down for breakfast?" Ororo asked. Milana shrugged, and Ororo could tell that she was in one of her moods. They didn't come that often, once every couple of days, and they were reasonably short. Milana would be lost in thought, and it was unusual for her to give any sign of life other than a shrug or little nod of her head.  
  
The professor had told everyone in the school to be tolerant of Milana's silence when some of the other students had complained about not being ably to talk to her when they had tried to become friends with her. Ever since the night a month ago when she had had a minor breakdown she had become even harder to talk to, and it was hard for the kids in the school to get used to it.  
  
Milana had started classes, and though her hand never raised and she never answered a question or read a report aloud she was receiving top marks, she was extremely smart.  
  
Another surprising discovery was her ability to fight in hand-to-hand combat, though she hated the Danger Room almost no one could beat her if she was forced to enter it. Even Logan had to admire her skills the day he was picked up and thrown against a wall so hard he was knocked unconscious for a little bit.  
  
So Milana had taken on the name Ghost, the students own doing entirely. When asked by an adult on why this had become her nickname the answer was always the same; "'Cause she haunts this place, she doesn't talk and have you fought her in the Danger Room?"  
  
The only people Milana seemed to react to was Ororo and Kurt, Kurt for the reason they felt connected, though neither knew how, and the teen had taken an instant liking to Ororo, or at least as much of a liking that you could tell with her.  
  
"Well, just don't be late for the Danger Room, you haven't been there for a week and you know the agreement," Ororo said, closing the door as she left. The agreement had been that as long as Milana took at least one Danger Room class a week she was pardoned from all others, and any other classes that involved fighting or a lot of physical activity.  
  
"Vell, is she alright?" asked a voice behind Ororo as she walked down the hall. Kurt appeared at her side as she sighed.  
  
"She's in one of those moods again," she replied. Kurt's face fell slightly.  
  
"That's three times this veek, I vonder if something's bothering her more right now." He said sadly. Ororo nodded.  
  
"If only we could get her to talk..." she said.  
  
(Milana's POV)  
  
"If only we could get her to talk..." I heard that, Ororo. I thought you understood me, I can't talk! If I did, what would happen? I might start talking about my past, and I can't do that. What would I say? Oh, well, because I was born and kept alive my mother was blown to bits and I was dragged off to be a pet, slave, and punch bag? Yeah, that would be easy.  
  
I was in 'one of those moods' again, I know what they say. Seems when I'm not being kicked every other second I have a better sense of hearing and smell. Much better, in fact. Even though Ororo and Kurt were walking down the stairs at the end of the hall I could hear them if my door was open and I strained. I like to know what's being said about me, gives me some comfort knowing what people think the Ghost is up to.  
  
Ghost, what a dumb nickname. Though I suppose it's better than 'the Wolverine', that makes the man sound like a mix of a shrew and a gorilla in my opinion. Which he acts like most of the time. For that reason and the lack of any other ideas for a decent nickname I guess Ghost is alright. Haunting the school, great impression Milana.  
  
I can talk, but since my little episode when I first got to the school I've been careful not to so much as grunt or sigh out loud, it may begin the legend of the Ghost-who-never-said-anything-until-the-day-she-spilt- her- guts-all-over-the-living-room-floor. That would be all I need.  
  
I'm a freak at a school for freaks, the last thing I need to do is become the basket case freak at a school for freaks, I'm weird enough already.  
  
Amazing what you can learn in a month, isn't it? For example, I learned there are more mutants then you could ever hope to meet, there is a maniac mutant trying to kill all humans, the X Men are the terrorists, vandals, and devils you often see on TV saving everyone's asses while they get the killer mutant to stop killing humans. That's very ironic, I think. Almost as ironic as me being the only ghost (usually thought of as a half-real phantom that can't hurt anybody, a dead person's soul) to throw Logan, the Wolverine, across a room.  
  
Once he was back among the living (no pun intended) he asked me why I hated to fight, telling me I was one of the best hand-to-hand combat fighters he had seen. I starred at him, and the man was intelligent enough to recognize the stare as an annoyed one and dropped it. I may be a good fighter, but I hate it. I have scars all over me, almost all of them from hand-to-hand fighting against a bunch of men in the bar, after they've gotten drunk and on one of the rare nights that situation didn't lead to going upstairs.  
  
I have many scars on my body, especially my back, one of my owners had a soft spot for whips and enjoyed using them on me every chance he got. I've been shot a couple times, and met death at least a dozen more. Unfortunately for me I always managed to come back, but that was more of unconscious will power then my desire to live, had my rational brain been working any of those times I would have certainly chosen death. But the worst scars were on my level of thinking. I have no idea on whether or not I would have been stronger had I not been captured so young, but it doesn't matter.  
  
I am now a mute, I've lost two very close friends at the hands of my captors (both mutants like me, unfortunately they were brave enough to stand up against the men at the bars). Screen had been shot in the head, and because I was standing behind her I was covered in her brains and bits of skull, I don't think I'll ever recover from that. Juniper got stabbed in the stomach as I watched while being held down by three men. My mother had been blown to bits while shielding me from the blast of the grenade some idiot threw into our house. I've seen other mutants and mutant sympathizers being killed by bombs, knifes, and guns all the time.  
  
The longest I ever managed to stay hidden from the haters in the nine attempts I made was two days, but they caught me sleeping in a church. That was another one of those near death things again.  
  
I hear lots of things about me, rumors about where I come from, why I don't talk, my 'hidden' powers. It's all mostly rubbish that the other students came up with to explain my behavior, seems most kids open up more when they come to this school, and I had only 'shut down', in the words of Hank. No one understands my silence, and the teachers are constantly dropping me little hints about how opening up and saying something may be the best thing for me to do. I think their just tired of never hearing me give reports in class.  
  
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Yes yes, short boring chapter, that was just to sorta catch you up on her 'condition, which at this time is totally pathetic. Ha ha, now I'm making fun of my own characters. Great. Well, I have to stop writing after one o clock in the morning, I can't do anything worthwhile. See y'all later. 


	6. The Memory Returns

'All X Men, to my office immediately.' Professor Xavier called. He got an instant response, Hank arrive after five minutes and was the last person to get there, all the X seniors where present.  
  
"What's wrong?" Logan demanded immediately after Hank had sat down.  
  
"There are men coming, humans. Too many for comfort, I think they are the mutant hunters that Milana was being held by," the professor replied. A shocked silence followed the statement until Kurt spoke up.  
  
"Vy are they coming here?" he asked.  
  
"Teh get Milana," Logan growled. "I bet they found out where she ran away to and decided to come after her, get her back." Professor Xavier nodded.  
  
"We have to get all of the children downstairs, in the med-bay as soon as possible. If we can keep the men away from the school it would be better, but the hunters are already too close. Hank, you and Ororo get everyone downstairs. Kurt, you help them. Scott, Logan, you two lock down the school and get ready for a fight." The X Men nodded and rushed off, Kurt teleporting away to save time. Hank went downstairs to move the medical tables and put away some of his things so all the children would fit while Storm started for the nearest room.  
  
Logan and Scott busied themselves locking the gates and doors around the school and turning off the lights, telling and children they encountered to get downstairs.  
  
Twenty minutes later they had all completed their tasks, except for Kurt, who was teleporting all over the school to make sure no one was still upstairs or out on the grounds. Then they heard the cars.  
  
The five X Men met in the kitchen as they heard banging on the front gates, which wouldn't last long. Scott nodded at Ororo, and instantly her eyes went white and a loud crack of thunder was heard overhead as the sky darkened. Outside everyone could hear the huge blast and yells of triumph that signaled the gates being torn through, and cars were getting closer and closer.  
  
Suddenly a machine gun sounded and the X Men ducked just as a row of bullets flew through the windows. The bullets stopped for a moment but then started up again, the noise of the gun getting louder and louder when it was joined by another sound of screeching brakes and car doors slamming.  
  
"Shit," Logan cursed. This was not the way to begin a fight, on the floor with your enemies firing machine guns at you.  
  
Below them the students sat, huddled together and so quiet you could have heard the breathing if it hadn't been for the roar of thunder and guns overhead. One of the younger girls shrieked when a loud bomb went off overhead, but one of her friends quickly put their hand over her mouth.  
  
"We have to help them, older kids anyway," said a boy, whose ink black hair was standing up in short spikes. Around his fingertips little sparks of electricity were cracking as he moved towards the door. But another student, a girl with blond hair, moved in his way.  
  
"We can't, we don't have enough control over our powers!" she said. A few others nodded, but more looked indignity at her.  
  
"Excuse me, I can control my powers," said one.  
  
"Just because you can't control yourself," said another. Everyone looked around as the sounds of a full out war came from overhead. Suddenly one of the kids pointed at Milana, who was huddled in a corner and trying very hard to go unnoticed.  
  
"Wait, you're called Ghost, right? You should be able to make it up there ok," he said. Milana starred at him, terrified but trying to look unconcerned. This put the kid off, as he had arrived only a week ago. "Well, can you do it or not?" A few other students laughed a little.  
  
"Ghost doesn't talk to anyone or anything, she just walks around and gets good grades and whips our asses in the Danger Room," the black haired boy said.  
  
"Then she wouldn't scream," said the girl who was keeping her friend from doing just that. She shot a sideways glance at Milana, who looked down at her bare feet. "It is true though, you can get around unnoticed easily. Can't you just go to check on the teachers?" Milana starred at her, now unable to hide the fear in her eyes. She shook her head violently, but now more kids were calling out for her to go.  
  
"Come on, you're the best one for the job!"  
  
"Only take a quick peek, ya won't get hurt."  
  
"What are you, chicken? You go up, look around and come back!"  
  
"Please?" But each time Milana shook her head harder until one the black haired boy let out a large crack of electricity. Everyone silenced and he glared at Milana.  
  
"You're the one for the job, Ghost, you gonna let us all down now? With those big hairy feet it should he easy to get up there without being noticed," Milana began to shake her head again, biting her lip, but the boy let out a huge spark that stopped inches from her face. She leapt back, but being next the wall only hit her head hard. The boy glared at her, breathing hard. The med bay had gone completely silent, and for a bit the students couldn't even hear the sounds of the battle going on overhead, all their attention was focused on the boy and Milana.  
  
"How can you just sit there when our teachers could be dead up there?" the boy shouted, the sparks coming out of his fingers were getting steadily bigger. Milana looked down, the worst thing in the world would be to face her past owners again, but it was true she did not want to let down the students. Whether even if the professor knew it or not she considered the school to be her home. And it was true that of all the students in the room she was most likely the best one for the job of looking around, her ability to blend into the background was almost considered a mutation itself.  
  
After another minute of yelling Milana reluctantly realized that they were ready to throw her out of the room anyway. She got up and slowly walked to the door, which slid open smoothly, though the power was out and the only light came from the boy's sparks and a fire controller's small flame. Everyone starred at Milana as she looked cautiously out the door and into the dark of the hallway, at least if any men came down they'd have to listen for her, and she could be dead silent if she wanted to. Then the students behind her closed the door, and she was alone.  
  
(Milana's POV)  
  
My god, how did I let them talk me into this? It was pitch black, though I could walk forward and not worry about bumping into anything, the halls were always picked up. Suddenly I heard the shouts above get louder, and a huge explosion above me made me lose my balance and fall over. They were still using grenades, that meant at least one X Men was alive. I got up and found a wall, following it until I found a door. Opening it slowly I saw a small light on the other side, it was some men! One was smoking a cigarette and had a machine gun hanging loosely at his side, the other men also had guns. They had a lighter with them, which was what they were using to look around with.  
  
"Where is that blue one? He hit me in the face!" said one angrily. I slipped through the door and closed it silently, holding my breath and ducking into the shadows.  
  
"Well, that's yer own fault," snapped the one who was smoking. "I dunno where he is, yeh need ter focus on the mission. That lil dog is here somewhere, we're here for her. Any problems with the others, yeh deal with'em yerself. Now spread out and search, yeh go through that door, we'll follow."  
  
"Oh, so I can get my face blown off or something?" the first man said angrily. The smoker laughed.  
  
"Yeah, to test whether it's safe enough fer us the go in." he said. The other laughed to and then one shoved the man forwards, almost on top of me. Great, now we know why their here, if the professor didn't know already. They're after me, and this school's being blown to bits just to find me, the dog. Perfect, this was just getting better and better.  
  
"Wait, what's that? Who's there?" said one man, whipping around and aiming a gun at the shadows near me. Damn, they saw something. The other men turned around and raised their guns.  
  
"Who's there?" the guy who spotted me demanded again. Shrink now, disappear, become a ghost...  
  
Then, probably because God really hates me, one of the men stepped forward and reached out, finding my tail of all things and pulling me out to under the small light coming from the cigarette and the lighter.  
  
I hate Danger Room classes, and others in which you have to tackle, wrestle, or do other really physical things with other people, though I'm pretty good at them. I want no class that makes you fight to be in my schedule, I would die happy if I never had to fight anyone for the rest of my life. But there is a time when one's unwanted skills come in handy, and now was one of those times. I punched the man holding me as hard as I could in the face, knocking him backwards into cigarette man and the guy who he had been arguing with. Then my fighting had quite startled the men, and before I fled I kicked away two more men's guns.  
  
(NPOV)  
  
Kurt heard a cry of pain and looked around the corner into the rec room, where Scott was standing, surrounded by dead men and clutching an arm that was bleeding badly.  
  
"Are you alright?" Kurt asked anxiously. Scott gritted his teeth and nodded.  
  
"Where are the others?" he asked.  
  
"Ororo and Hank are upstairs, she got a bad cut on her leg. Logan is heading to the med bay to make sure the children are fine."  
  
Scott nodded and looked at his friend.  
  
"Are you alright?" he asked. Kurt nodded when suddenly shouts and a door slamming reached their ears. Heavy footsteps and a couple of gun shots were heard when Milana flew through the rec room door, the footsteps were still at the end of the hall.  
  
"Milana?!" Kurt yelled. "Vot are you doing here?!" Of course Milana didn't answer, instead leaping behind a couch. Soon the first man appeared in the doorway, but was blown backwards by Scott. Kurt teleported into the middle of the group and soon had all but one unconscious, all of their guns grabbed and thrown across the room. Scott held a hand up to the one man who was left standing. He put his hands up and gaped at Kurt.  
  
"Oh god, you found her?" he said in a shaky voice.  
  
"Found vo?" Kurt demanded, glaring at the man. The guy looked at him and started to shiver, and started to back away. Just then they heard a click behind them, and when Kurt and Scott looked they were startled to see Milana, standing up from behind the couch with a gun aimed at the man. This wouldn't have been so shocking if it hadn't been for the expression on her face. It was not sad, scared, or passive like every other time they had seen her. Now it was filled with a fury that made the whole room seem to heat up, and her eyes looked like there was a fire in them. Then she pulled the trigger, and the man slumped to the floor with a bullet hole in the middle of his forehead.  
  
(Milana's POV)  
  
What can I say? Enough was enough, this wasn't the time to be a coward. Besides, it would have taken the sniveling idiot half an hour to tell us what I had already remembered. This was a man who had separated me from my family, killed most of it off, helped kill my friends and had made me pray that I could just go to Hell, because it would have been better then what I had to endure for years.  
  
There was a shocked silence after the man hit the floor, Scott and Kurt starred at me as if I had suddenly grown extra legs and had a Barney costume on or something. My anger dissolved and I was suddenly too weak to stand, right before I blacked out I remembered two things. I had been shot in the back, and Kurt Wagner is my father.  
  
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Well, this is to make up for not being on top of my story line for the last while. I hope you review, and please don't kill me for the hurried ending. No, not the ending to the story, the ending to the chapter. PLEASE REVIEW! And then I can post the next chapter, which I haven't started yet but oh well. You get my drift. 


	7. Remembering Maria

Wow, nice reviews, lol. Keep'm coming, and the chapters will keep coming. Unless my computer crashes and fanfiction.net crashes and everything is lost, but I hope that that wont happen. This starts from Milana's POV.  
  
Oh yeah, I never claimed to be good at writing accents, please bear with me for not making Kurt's accent always visible or whatever my friends have been telling me, that also goes for Kurt lovers out there, I SUCK AT ACCENTS!!!  
  
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"Milana? Milana!" Someone's voice was whispering my name, getting louder and fainter all the time. The voice was familiar, who was it? Ow, my back hurts. Pain, am I married to the feeling or something? Jeez, every time I do something I end up in pain.  
  
Someone was clutching my arm tightly; it was cutting off the circulation to my hands and fingers. It was incredibly dark, there was no light anywhere. Then I realized why it was so dark; my eyes were closed. That may be the problem.  
  
"Milana, vake up!" the voice again. I opened my eyes and found that it was still dark, though I could make out a figure above me. I blinked for a moment, then realized who it was. My father. God, how had I not recognized him before? A month in the same home, seeing eachother every day and both of us seeing eachother and wondering where we had met before.  
  
"Kurt?" I mumbled. Well, if I could get angry enough to kill someone and figure out exactly why Kurt was so familiar to me, why couldn't I talk? The blue man gasped at the sound of his name, and I realized that if you don't use your voice in more than two years, it can get a bit raspy and quiet when you do decide to break your silence.  
  
"Are you alright?" he asked finally. I looked at him and tried to move, but a jolt of pain so intense I let out a small cry shot up my back; this coming from the silent Ghost. I could practically feel the little piece of lead in my body, jumping around and having a lead poisoning party with all the little germs it let in. Funny how those small things can hurt so much, huh? So in reply I shook my head and muttered a faint "No."  
  
When someone asks if you're alright, you're supposed to say "Yes, thank you. And how are you?", not "No, I have a bullet in my back and I just found out that you are my father,". Well I never said I did the right thing all the time, now did I? Then I remembered; school, how could I forget about that?  
  
"Where, where are the men?" I wheezed, aware I sounded much worse than I felt. Kurt smiled at me.  
  
"They are gone, ve drove them off. The electricity vos cut off, but ve are all doing fine. Turn over." Painfully I rolled onto my back, realizing I was on the floor of the rec room. Kurt lifted my shirt slightly to get a better look at the hole in me, and I could hear him sigh. "It bad?" I asked.  
  
"No, not at all; Hank can patch it up easily," he said. I could tell he was lying. Besides, since when does being shot be fixed by a little patch up? Suddenly the lights came on, and I winced as my eyes tried to adjust to the blinding light.  
  
"They got the lights back on," Kurt muttered. He bent down and picked my up gently, then put me on a couch, not really noticing that blood was spilling on the white fabric.  
  
"I remembered," I said. My voice was getting clearer, more like it was before I went mute for a while. "Who you are-" but Kurt raised a hand, smiling softly.  
  
"Yes, I have also." He said. He smiled at me sadly and then we just hugged, I don't even know how long we just sat there in eachother's arms, and soft tears spilling down both our cheeks. Right then my back couldn't have felt better, and I didn't feel any thing but amazement that I had found my father, who I had often wondered what happened to after my mother had been killed and my house destroyed.  
  
After a while we heard an "Ahem," behind us, and Kurt broke away and we looked at the doorway. Logan was there, his shirt torn and some blood on his cloths, smiling with his arms folded across his chest.  
  
"What's up?" he asked.  
  
"Hey Logan," I said. His jaw dropped.  
  
"Since when have you said anything?" he asked. Kurt laughed a little and then seemed to notice the blood all over the couch.  
  
"Ve have to get you to the med-bay," he said. I winced as he picked me up again, careful not to touch the wound. Then I suddenly found myself in the med-bay, where Hank was busy cleaning up the stuff that had been knocked to the floor. He looked up and gasped when he saw the blood trickling onto the floor.  
  
"What happened?" he asked.  
  
"I was looking for you guys and was found," I said, wincing as Kurt put me on one of the medical tables. Hank starred at me for a moment after hearing my voice, then shrugged and rushed to get bandages and such. A bit later I was sitting up and painfully checking out the bandaged wound on my back. The bullet itself was lying beside me, so small and lying in a little pool of blood. I picked it up and looked at it, then threw it into the trash and began to stand up. Kurt, Dad, rushed over immediately and pushed me back. It had been hard enough to convince him and Hank to let me sit up, so I could forget standing.  
  
"Come on, I can!" I said.  
  
"No, you must rest nov," he said sternly. God, he knows I'm his kid for ten minutes and he's already perfecting that bossy Daddy tone. I was glad to hear it though, not having a parent since I was four made me appreciate the bossiness more than I would if I had. Thinking about that made me remember my mother, and that filled me with a sadness and curiosity. I had never really known her, had Dad? Were they divorced or what? I couldn't remember him very well from when I was little. He must have remembered who she was. Her last name must have been Kendent, since Dad's last name was Wagner, but I didn't remember her first name.  
  
"Vot's vrong?" Dad asked, I realized I had been frowning and starring off into space.  
  
"What was my mother's first name?" I asked. He looked startled, and then his face fell. I felt guilty immediately, the look of pain on his face was almost unbearable. I looked away, but he sighed and answered.  
  
"Her name was Maria," he said. "Maria Kendent. She vos very beautiful, like you." I nodded and he rubbed his eyes. Great, I made my father cry.  
  
"How did you know that?" Hank asked. I jumped, winced at the pain shooting up my back again, and I realized that no one besides me or Kurt knew that we were father and daughter. Hank was looking very curious and worried about Kurt, who was still rubbing his eyes.  
  
"Well, she was my mother and he is my father, I would hope he knows her name." I said conversationally, though I was blinking rapidly myself. Hank looked thunderstruck.  
  
"What?" he gasped. Kurt lowered his hands but still didn't look at me. He mumbled something about food and then disappeared. Hank turned to me. "Kurt is your father?" he asked. I nodded, and Hank sat down hard. "How long have you known? How long has he?" he asked.  
  
"Um, I remembered right before I was shot, and I have no idea how long he's known." I said. How long had he known? That was a rather disturbing thought, if he had known for more than a day, then he had been keeping a secret from me, and I hate that. I hadn't heard him talking about it ever, he was always thinking about what was bothering me so I much I had had a mental 'shut down' for a while, in the professor's words. The professor! Did he know before either of us? He could read minds, what if he figured it out and kept the truth from me and Dad, or told my father and both of them kept me in the dark?  
  
Then I realized that what I was saying was ridiculous, and that I needed some sleep. I asked if I could go to my room, but Hank shook his head.  
  
"No, you'll have to stay here for a bit. I want to make sure you don't get an infection." He said. I sighed and lay back down, and Hank excused himself, saying he wanted to go talk to the professor or something. I fell asleep almost immediately.  
  
(NPOV)  
  
Kurt was poking at his food in the cafeteria, starring out the large hole that had been blown in the wall. Since Ororo had blown away her storm the day was left to be clear, sunny, and beautiful. Kurt painfully remembered the day he had proposed to Maria Kendent, that day had been just as beautiful. They had been so happy then, and after Milana was born they doubted that there was a happier couple on earth. Kurt had a job in a circus, and though he sometimes had to leave to go on trips Maria always waited patiently for him to return home, taking care of Milana and the house they lived in.  
  
When Milana was four he had to go another trip, though the circus manager had promised if he did he wouldn't have to go on another for a year, He had returned to find his home leveled to the ground, and his wife's body in pieces everywhere. There was no sign of his daughter. He had been found days later by a friend of his from the circus, who had come to see him and Maria and Milana. He had found Kurt a complete wreck, dirty and weak, and laying in a heap, crying his heart out and asking God why he had done this to him.  
  
His friend had taken him back to the circus, and Kurt had tried to get over his wife's death and the overwhelming probability that Milana was also dead. Then he had been found by Stryker and then the X Men, and here he was today, his daughter found alive and the painful memories resurfacing so fast he couldn't control what he was thinking about.  
  
"Hey, how's the kid?" Logan asked, sitting across from him with a large plate of food. Kurt jumped a little, startled at being pulled out of deep thought so suddenly.  
  
"She is fine, and vanting to get up," he said with a weak smile. Logan was instantly suspicious.  
  
"What's wrong, elf? You look like you've seen a ghost!" he said. Kurt looked down at his hardly touched food.  
  
"Nothing, just memories," he said. Logan dropped the matter, it was clear the mutant didn't want to discuss the matter anymore.  
  
"Well, we sure have our work cut out for us," he said, changing the subject. "Half the house was blown up, where did they get that many grenades?" Kurt winced; having two homes destroyed was a bit much for the time. Logan noticed this to and got impatient.  
  
"Alright, if something's bugging you so bad we cant talk, then you better tell someone who can help you; I aint good at that shit. Whatever's wrong is obviously horrible, and yeh shouldn't keep that kinda thing in, it aint good for someone like you." Kurt nodded slightly and then disappeared, leaving Logan slightly agitated and huffy.  
  
Kurt had teleported to the hallway outside the professor's office, but now he was wondering if talking to him was what he really wanted to do. However, before he could leave he heard the professor's voice.  
  
"Come in Kurt," the man sighed and opened the door; time to talk.  
  
*******************************************************************  
  
Well that's all I can do right now. I'm aware that some of my stuff may be a little out of character, please forgive me, and also please forgive me for making a bit of Kurt's past up. Hopefully Kurt lovers will not be too mad at me. 


	8. Assumptions and Telling

(Milana's POV)  
  
Three days later and I was still making sure that no one besides Hank and the professor knew about their friend and teammate being my dad, aside from Kurt (duh). The professor was aware of my feelings about this, he told me so (I wondered how, I can't even get what I'm feeling about this whole mess), and it was easy to threaten Hank into silence, though I think it was unnecessary I wanted to make sure. Dad also was 'talked to', and he agreed that we should talk about some things before we alerted anyone else. This made me wonder what things, but after a bit it became clear. The 'things' were my mother and my past.  
  
"Hov long vere you in Elington?" he asked, for what seemed to be the hundredth time. I was drifting off, trying to not think about it. Maybe about how funny it was when the students and other teachers heard me speak for the first time since I came to the school.  
  
"Milana?" Dad looks at me and I realize I have to talk to him, this is not one of those times I can return to blessed silence.  
  
"What? Oh, two and a half years," I mumbled. Dad seemed to think about this deeply, like he always did.  
  
"Vot did you do before that?" he asked. Yuk, these were the things I really hated talking about.  
  
"Slave, freak show animal, things like that." More thinking, Think, think, think; about what? Why was he always making me repeat things like this? The only thing he hasn't been able to ask about, though it's been clear he really wants to, is the night my life went to hell, the night my father died.  
  
"Vot happened-" he stopped, damn he was close to asking it. I wanted him to but didn't at the same time; who really wants to talk about their mother dying?  
  
Dad changed his question. "And you don't remember me from ven you vere little?" his eyes were filled with tears, this was getting much more serious than our other talks.  
  
"Um, I don't really remember much except-, nothing. Never mind, I don't remember much of my childhood." If he didn't bring the night up, why should I? He nodded and then looked at the floor. I felt really guilty right then, I should have lied. I should have said of course, now that I remembered it was him all the happy memories were back, when we were a small family with a great father. But I didn't, I just sat there.  
  
"Vell, don't stay up too late," Dad muttered distractedly. I nodded, though it was only 4 o clock and the sunlight was streaming through the window of my room. He got up off my bed and left, making me feel so lonely... Why did these things happen? My father as a good man, my mother had been so nice, no one should have to go through the things that happened to either of them.  
  
~It's not your fault, and you should not have ever had to think about what happened to you. It's not your fault~ Yeah, there was the professor again. He had often sent me little note like this after the talks with dad, they helped somewhat.  
  
~thank you professor, how are you doing?~  
  
~He doesn't blame you for what happened~ Oh shit, I wish he hadn't said that. I can deal with most things, even now, while the school was being rebuilt and I was remembering and learning more about my past, I have been able to deal. But though I told myself that I had nothing to do with what happened that night so long ago... I never believed it, I probably never will.  
  
I felt the professor close the connection and I sat on my bed, buried my face in my pillow, and prepared to have a nice long cry.  
  
(Kurt's POV)  
  
Vy couldn't I mention it? Vy couldn't I bring up the night I lost my vife and child? She vos vaiting for me to ask about it, that vos clear, but I didn't. I almost did, but I didn't.  
  
I thought God had been so angry vith me to take avay my home and family, I think now he vos testing me, and I may have passed; he did send my daughter back to me. But I vos still unable to talk about Mystery, Maria, my vife, the voman I loved and still love.  
  
"Hey, elf!" Logan called as I valked down the corridor. I don't knov vy he calls me 'elf', though I don't mind.  
  
"Yes? Hov are you?" I said politely. I didn't really vont to talk, but I believe in manners and that your friends should never be ignored.  
  
"I got a bone teh pick with you," Logan said. I blinked.  
  
"About vot?" I asked. There vos nothing I could think of that ve needed to talk about, but Logan is a strange man, vo often keeps things under cover unless it becomes too much to handle, and then he is very reluctant to talk about it, most of the time.  
  
"What's up with you and Milana? You're always talkin to her privately and you seem so upset lately." This is not the Logan I knov, the usual Logan vould not 'give a shit about nothin', in his ovn vords. He vould not make a comment like this to anyone, especially not me.  
  
"Nothing, she is feeling upset about the attacks," I lied, knoving Milana did not vont others to knov about our connection.  
  
"Tell me the truth, elf," Logan said in a warning voice.  
  
"I did, she vos upset," I said defensively. Logan grovled but then stomped off, agitated but not pressing me for the truth he knev I vos hiding. I felt guilty for not being truthful to Logan, but not enough to break my promise to Milana.  
  
(NPOV)  
  
"Hiding somethin, pesky little elf," Logan grumbled, marching down the hallways he finally spotted the purple furred girl up ahead of him, and he hurried to catch up.  
  
"Hello Mr. Logan," Milana said politely, looking away.  
  
"Don't hi me, kid," he growled, but he was slightly taken aback. She was a mess, her facial fur was messed up, she had obviously tried to scrub off tears before she left her room. She also looked more exhausted than Logan had ever seen her, her tired eyes starring blankly at the floor.  
  
"What's wrong?" she asked.  
  
"What's going on between you and Kurt?" he demanded. Milana looked blankly at him for a moment, and only seemed to realize what he was talking about a moment later.  
  
"Nothing, the talks? I just, problems, you know, he's just been helping," she stuttered. Logan cocked an eyebrow and she mentally cursed, it was as clear that they were going to have know about her and Kurt and her as it was she was lying, and Logan seemed to be mad about it.  
  
"You tell me right now, kid, or I'll..." he couldn't think of anything to threaten her with, so he just let it hang. Milana blinked and then decided. She was going to have to talk to her father about telling the others.  
  
(Milana's POV)  
  
I went in search of him and after half an hour finally found him in the kitchen, thankfully alone. He was eating some ice cream and looked up as I entered, opened the freezer, and got out the whole tub of chocolate, grabbed a soon, and sat down next to him. I never really liked having to go back for seconds. He smiled as I opened the ice cream and ate some.  
  
"You are hungry?" he asked. I nodded, swallowed, and turned to face him.  
  
"I think we need to tell the others," I said. He put down his spoon.  
  
"Tell the others vot?" he asked. What do you mean "Tell the others vot"? I thought. Tell them you're my father!  
  
"You know, that-" Suddenly he smiled again and cut me off.  
  
"Maybe," he said. What the hell is wrong with him?!  
  
"No, I think we should, it's important." I said, frowning. This guy was not acting like my father.  
  
"Ok, but hov?" he asked. I shrugged.  
  
"Call a meeting or something," I thought aloud. "You're an X Man, tell the professor to call a meeting, I don't know!"  
  
"Alright, I vill," Dad said, standing up and putting away the bowl and spoon he left me very confused. That was not Kurt Wagner, that was strange.  
  
"I knew it!" Suddenly Logan marched in from the outside, looking both shocked and pleased with himself.  
  
"Knew what?" I asked. Is the whole school going nuts?  
  
"You and Kurt are dating, aren't you?" he asked. What? Dating? I started to laugh and Logan looked slightly confused, he stopped smiling anyway.  
  
"What? What's the matter with you?" he growled.  
  
"We are not dating!" I said, really starting to crack up at the notion.  
  
"Then why the meeting?" he asked.  
  
"I'll tell you then Wolvie, you'll just have to wait." I said. Then I left him just as confused as Dad left me. I needed to figure out what Dad was doing and why Logan would have the crazy idea that Dad and I were dating... I started to giggle again thinking about it.  
  
(Logan's POV)  
  
I swear to god this whole fuckin place is absolutely insane.  
  
**************************************************************************** ***  
  
Wow, that took me a long, LONG time to update, lol. Well, I hope you enjoyed this little chapter. Not so little, but you know what I mean.  
  
Well, review and I might post again soon,  
  
-Ice Lynx 


	9. A Fight

Oh my god, it is taking so long to update this! I am so sorry!  
  
That's all I'm gonna say right now, here's the next chapter, and please review!\  
  
-Ice Lynx  
  
**************************************************************************** *********  
  
(Milana's POV)  
  
Two hours later I was looking for my father again, completely confused. Why hadn't the professor called for a meeting yet? I mean, I wasn't sure if he had or hadn't, but he hadn't asked for me and I would probably need to be there.  
  
"Milana! Looking for something?" I turned around and saw Ororo smiling at me.  
  
"Uh, yeah," I said. "Have you seen Kurt anywhere?" Ororo thought for a moment.  
  
"Oh, I thought I saw him in his room a while ago, sleeping," she answered. What? He was sleeping?! I marched away muttering to myself furiously, not even really knowing what I was saying myself.  
  
I got to Dad's room in five minuets, blowing ignoring everyone who said hello and Logan, who asked what I was so nuclear about now. I stopped and looked at the door of Dad's room and listened, and inside I could hear the gentle rhythmic breathing coming from pops. This did not help my temper.  
  
(NPOV)  
  
Milana burst through the door with a loud bang, making Kurt immediately leap up and disappear with a loud bamf. He reappeared outside in the hallway, spinning around to find his daughter glaring at him and tapping her foot on the floor, her arms crossed on her chest.  
  
"Vot?" Kurt said, blinking and looking around. "Vot is going on? Milana?" Milana's patience snapped.  
  
"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" she screamed. Kurt jumped backwards.  
  
"Vot?" he said again.  
  
"How could you?" Milana said. "I told you! I TOLD YOU! AND YOU WENT TO SLEEP!" With that she spun around and stamped off to her bedroom door, walked in and slammed the door, leaving Kurt standing stunned. After a moment he regained the ability to move and hurried over to Milana's door, knocking and calling.  
  
"Milana? Milana! Please open the door! Vot did you tell me? Milana!"  
  
"GO AWAY!" Milana screamed. Kurt stopped talking and stared at the doorway, unable to figure out what had just happened. First he had been asleep, then his daughter had woken him up, then she yelled at him, and now she wouldn't tell him what was wrong? Kurt leaned on the wall and tried to remember their last conversation when Rogue walked up, looking at Kurt and his face she slowed down.  
  
"Uh, you ok Kurt?" she asked. Kurt looked at her.  
  
"Milana is angry vith me," he murmured. Rogue stopped.  
  
"Milana? Why is she mad at you? I thought you two were, you know, real close." Kurt looked at her.  
  
"That's vot I thought too," he replied.  
  
"Let me talk to her," Rogue said, knocking on the door. "Milana? Hey, it's me, Rogue." Rogue looked at Kurt. "She won't open the door if you've had a fight and you're here," she said matter-of-factly. Kurt nodded and went back down the hall, waiting by his door, but Rogue glared at him and nodded her head. Kurt took the hint and went inside his room, shutting the door.  
  
Rogue grinned and backed up down the hall, then looked at a door and opened and closed it with a bang.  
  
"There, that should keep them apart for a bit..." Rogue muttered, walking down the hall. "Enough to make it interesting anyway."  
  
"What?" Rogue spun around to find Scott staring at her.  
  
"Oh, nothing," she said, smiling innocently at him.  
  
"Keep who apart?" Scott demanded again. Then he seemed to pause, and judging by his expression the girl in front of him could figure out what was going on even before he lunged. "You!" Scott yelled. Rogue darted out of his way as her eyes flashed yellow as she ran down the hall, and before Scott could blink she had turned into a blue woman with red hair.  
  
"Mystique! Stop there!" Scott yelled. The blue woman ran faster and turned a corner, running straight into the real Rogue, who cried out as she toppled over. In a flash Mystique was up, and spotting an open window she bolted for it, leaping gracefully through and landing on all fours outside, running off into the woods. Scott skidded to a halt at the window and aimed his optic blasts at Mystique's retreating back, but she had already made it into the woods. Cursing Scott turned around and then helped Rogue up.  
  
"What was that?" Rogue asked.  
  
"I have no idea, but I think we'd better check on Milana and Kurt, the professor said it was something to do with them."  
  
"Them? Why them?" Rogue asked, hurrying after Scott.  
  
"I don't know, but they might."  
  
********************************************************************** 


	10. Somethings Going On

"Milana?"  
  
"GO AWAY!"  
  
"Whoa," Rogue said, taking a step back. "She's not in a good mood." But she had scarcely finished her sentence when the door burst open and revealed Milana, looking positively lived, her fists clenched and her chest heaving.  
  
"How could you?!" she yelled. Scott and Rogue both backed away.  
  
"Who?" Scott asked. This seemed to bring a sudden calm over the purple girl, and she put her hands up to her forehead, leaning against the doorframe.  
  
"Milana?" Scott said. "Who's been bothering you?"  
  
"Everyone!" Milana cried. "The whole lot of you! Logan was right, the whole place has gone mad! D... Kurt can't remember stuff that's so important to me, Rogue has been trying to separate me'n Kurt, and LOGAN THINKS ME AND KURT ARE DATING!" Milana shrank to the floor and looked down at it while Scott and Rogue exchanged looks. "Curse ice-cream," Milana muttered. Then she got up and walked away without another word, leaving two more confused people behind her.  
  
"Ok," Rogue said, after Milana had disappeared. "Shall we go see what Kurt knows about this?"  
  
"I hope he makes more sense than Milana," Scott replied.  
  
*****  
  
Kurt opened the door as soon as it knocked. When he saw Rogue he grabbed her shoulders.  
  
"Vell?! Vot is vrong vith her? Vot did I do?" he cried. Rogue froze.  
  
"What?" she said.  
  
"Vot is vrong vith Milana!" Kurt almost shouted.  
  
"Kurt, take it easy, please," Scott said. Kurt dropped his hands and took a deep breath.  
  
"I'm sorry, I did not mean to shout," he said. "But how is she?"  
  
"That's what we wanted to know," Rogue said. "What is going on between you two?"  
  
"Milana and I..." Kurt trailed off. "Where is she?"  
  
"She said something about ice cream and then walked off," Scott said.  
  
"Ice cream?" Suddenly Kurt started to laugh, and disappeared with a loud Bamf and a puff of blue smoke.  
  
"That's it, I'm going to the professor." Rogue said.  
  
"But does this really involve you?" Scott asked.  
  
"If Milana's mad at me and Kurt is... like *that* to me, I am so involved." Rogue said, walking off.  
  
"Milana was right," Scott muttered, following the teenager. "This whole place is insane."  
  
*****  
  
"Milana?" Kurt walked through the kitchen doorway to find the teenager with a bowl of ice cream.  
  
"Go away, I don't want to talk to you right now." Milana said, stirring her ice cream into mush with her spoon.  
  
"But Milana, I don't even know vy you are mad at me," Kurt said. Milana sighed.  
  
"Really," she said sarcastically. "You don't remember a few hours back us sitting in these exact same chairs eating this food talking about that subject. Yeah, great. Now I know you're getting old, suffering from short- term memory loss. Great." Kurt blinked.  
  
"I vos not here then, I vos upstairs, sleeping all afternoon. I stayed up late vith Xavier last night, talking, so I vos tired," he replied. Milana looked at him. Just then Logan walked in, opening the refrigerator and taking out a can of beer.  
  
"Well, it must have been your evil twin then, Pops, cause you looked like you and sounded like you. And you made a promise and then went right upstairs to bed." Milana said, rolling her eyes. Logan stiffened and turned around slowly.  
  
"Did you just call him Pops?" he said slowly. Milana glared at him.  
  
"Yeah, you know, Pops; as in, papa, daddy, dad, father, the old guy who helped your mum make you," she said. Logan dropped the beer can.  
  
"I thought you didn't vant to tell-" Kurt began.  
  
"I did want to tell! You don't remember? You didn't pay attention?! I don't know what's wrong with you Dad! I asked if it was alright if we could go and get a meeting together and tell everyone, and then you went all freaky and said ok and then I went up two hours later and you were ASLEEP and now you don't remember ANYTHING!"  
  
"Wait, he's your father?!" Logan said. Kurt and Milana both ignored him.  
  
"I svear, I vos not here!" Kurt repeated. Then he paused. "Vait, did you say I acted strangely, but you are sure it vos me?" Milana rolled her eyes.  
  
She kept herself content with replying "Yes," but she made it as sarcastic as she possibly could. Kurt thought for a moment and then looked at Logan, who had figured it out as well.  
  
"Mystique," the Canadian growled. Kurt nodded.  
  
"Her? But doesn't she work with that other bad guy, Magneto?" Milana said. Both men nodded at her.  
  
"But vy did she only talk to Milana?" Kurt wondered aloud.  
  
"I think we'd better see Chuck 'bout this," Logan said. "I suppose he knows 'bout you two?"  
  
"Him and Hank," Kurt replied, getting up. "Ve should teleport, it vill be faster," with that he grabbed Milana's wrist and suddenly she found herself right outside the professor's office. Kurt knocked on the door and then walked in as the Professor looked up. Scott and Rogue were also in the office, and Milana stared at Rogue long and hard for a moment, then shook her head, not wanting to question the girl right then.  
  
"Mystique vos here," Kurt said. Xavier nodded.  
  
"Yes, Scott and Rogue saw her escaping. Are you and Milana alright?" he asked, looking particularly at Milana. "I mean, you worked out the damage Mystique caused?"  
  
"Yes, ve figured it out," Kurt said, and then he and Xavier looked at the teen, who sighed.  
  
"I still want my meeting," she said, looking at Xavier. He nodded.  
  
"I know, Hank, Jean, Ororo and Logan are already on their way." He said.  
  
"What meeting? About what?" Scott asked.  
  
"We're here, we're here," Logan said, walking in. Behind him the rest of the X Men came in, and Hank, who was last, shut the door.  
  
"What's wrong professor?" Jean asked, looking concerned.  
  
"There's nothing wrong Jean, and I think it will be up to Milana and Kurt to tell you what the meeting is about." All eyes turned to Kurt and Milana, who looked at eachother, as if trying to decide who should speak first. Finally Kurt nodded at Milana and she took a deep breathe as if trying to calm down. Then she turned to the others and spoke.  
  
"Kurt's my father," she said. The other's, besides Hank, Logan, and Xavier, stared at her, then at Kurt, who smiled weakly.  
  
"Vell, that vos it," he said, shrugging.  
  
"What?" Scott managed to get out.  
  
"Kurt is my daddy," Milana repeated. More staring, more open mouths, more silence. Kurt and Milana were beginning to get a little uneasy, and Milana looked at her father and at the others again. "Well?" she said.  
  
"It wasn't what we expected..." Jean replied, unable to think of anything else. Logan snorted.  
  
"I don't think anyone in the mansion would expect that." He said.  
  
"How long have you two known?" Scott asked.  
  
"About a week, around then anyway. Hank and Professor Xavier found out with us, but I didn't want them to tell you, and Logan found out by mistake a few minutes ago. I wanted to have a meeting this afternoon, but that's when things got a bit complicated." Milana shrank back a step, allowing Kurt to continue.  
  
"Apparently Milana found Mystique, disguised as me, in the kitchen and told her she vanted to have a meeting. Mystique valked avay vile I vos asleep upstairs, and then after Mystique did not call a meeting she vent in search of me. The mix-up made her mad at me, and of course I didn't know vy, and then Mystique came back as Rogue, told me to leave everything to her, and then left Milana and I both in the dark. This made things worse ven the real Rogue vent to find Milana and she got even madder left, so Rogue and Scott came to my room and I vos a bit anxious, but neither of you knew vy, and only ven I found Milana downstairs and vos able to find out vat vos vrong did ve figure out that it was Mystique who caused the vhole thing." Kurt finished and Rogue sighed.  
  
"So that's what was going on, you could have told us then you know," she said. Kurt shrugged.  
  
"Milana didn't tell me she vanted you to know yet," he replied. Ororo looked at Xavier.  
  
"So why was Mystique here in the first place?" she asked. "She didn't attack anyone, didn't do much besides make a lot of ill tension in the group, which got resolved, and she might have gotten injured in the process. What's going on professor?" Xavier sighed and shook his head.  
  
"I don't know," he said. "And furthermore, I have no idea what Mystique's motive could possibly be."  
  
"Whoa, wait a minute," Scott said. "How exactly did Milana and Kurt figure out they were father and daughter?" Kurt blinked and stared at Scott for a moment, then looked down at the floor. Milana's face went expressionless.  
  
"After I got shot and started talking we both remembered." She said.  
  
"But how did you twp separate in the first place? You two never let me in on that," Logan said. BAMF. Kurt disappeared and everyone besides Milana and the professor looked away.  
  
"What?" Jean said. Milana walked out of the door.  
  
"I'm going to find him," she called back. "And don't ask him that again please." The door shut behind her and all eyes turned towards Xavier.  
  
"What was that?" Rogue asked.  
  
"Something those two obviously don't wanna discuss," Logan said. "Maybe we should listen to Milana."  
  
"I agree with Logan on this," Hank said. "Though I personally think Milana implied that we should not ask her either in her parting statement." Xavier nodded.  
  
"I would like you all to keep that in mind for a while, I'm certain she and Kurt will tell us when they are ready." Xavier said. Then he nodded and everyone left.  
  
In the hallway Logan looked at Hank as the others left.  
  
"I wonder what happened that upset Kurt so much," Hank said thoughtfully, walking down the hall. Logan nodded and then changed direction. Hank looked back and stopped. "Where are you going?" he called.  
  
"To find out what upset the elf and his kid so much," Logan replied.  
  
"But-"  
  
"Are you coming or not?" Logan asked. Hank followed him after a moment of quick thought.  
  
"I still don't agree with this approach," he said.  
  
*****  
  
"Dad?" Milana walked into the kitchen and found Kurt with his head in his hands. "Dad?" Milana walked in and heard a sob. She stopped for a moment and then sat by her father and hugged him.  
  
"You're thinking about mom aren't you?" she asked. Kurt didn't answer. "I miss her too."  
  
"I'm sorry, it's not you-" he said. Milana put her head on his shoulder.  
  
"It's the memories that come back..." she finished. Kurt nodded and put an arm around Milana.  
  
"But I still thank the Lord every minute for finding you again," he said.  
  
"I know," Milana smiled up at him, and he smiled back.  
  
*****  
  
"Something about Kurt's, whoa, he had a wife?" Logan looked at Hank.  
  
"Well, it's entirely plausible, Kurt does have a child and is very particular about his relationships," Hank said. Logan rolled his eyes.  
  
"Well, something about her and the Lord. I can't hear anything with your loud breathing bub," Logan said. Hank sighed.  
  
*****  
  
What no one was aware of was that someone else was watching Milana and Kurt's conversation. An old man with silver hair and a metal helmet on his head was peering through one of the kitchen windows.  
  
"Hmm, looks like Mystique was right about one thing, but quite off in another area," he muttered, then he turned and walked away, disappearing into the night. 


	11. Betrayed by the Ghost

Ok, here is the most recent chapter. I will say that because I had writer's block I didn't post, but now I'm doing pretty well. Please forgive the delay and someone besides giveGodtheGlory (rock on gurl) review! Please!  
  
-Ice Lynx  
  
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After two days everyone in the mansion knew about Kurt and Milana, who did not speak about their past. Whenever anyone brought it up they would find excuses to leave or be busy, or they would simply walk away from the questioners. After a while Xavier called a meeting of the senior X Men in his office.  
  
"Magneto is up to something again," Xavier said. "I'm fairly certain it has something to with the White House this time."  
  
"Big surprise," Logan said.  
  
"We're on our way," Scott said.  
  
"Are any of the Juniors coming?" Ororo asked, looking at Kurt out of the corner of her eye. Milana had recently become a Junior X Man, and it was an opinion of some that both Milana and Kurt going on the same mission might lead to trouble, which the professor quickly extinguished.  
  
"We are all family anyway," he had said. "Each of us cares for eachother deeply and that makes it a risk, it has always been like that." But today he also took a quick glance at Kurt as he answered Ororo's question.  
  
"No, it will only be you five, assuming Hank does not want to go." Xavier looked at Hank, who nodded.  
  
"Alright then, team, let's move out." Scott said. A little while later the basketball court disappeared as the Blackbird rose from the ground and took off into the night.  
  
"Where do ya think the oldies are going?" Rogue asked Jubilee and Milana. The three were standing by a window, watching the jet leave. Jubilee shrugged.  
  
"No idea, what do you think Mil?" Jubilee and Rogue looked at Milana.  
  
"Dunno," she replied, taking off her large orange sweater.  
  
"Worrying about the ol' pops?" Jubilee asked.  
  
"Why should I? He can handle himself." Milana said, twirling her sweater and then putting it on the windowsill.  
  
"Yeah but, this is like the first mission since you two found out, isn't it?" Rogue said. Milana nodded.  
  
"But we found out while the mansion was under attack, didn't we? I didn't worry about him then." She said, walking away. "See you guys later, I'm gonna go get some food." After she had gone Jubilee looked at Rogue. Jubilee picked up Milana's sweater.  
  
"Hmm, she's forgot her sweater. I'll take it to her in a bit." She said. Then she paused. "I think she's worried about him."  
  
"But she said she wasn't." Rogue replied.  
  
"Yeah, but, I mean, everyone worries about everyone who goes on those missions, and he's her dad!" Jubilee said. "Like, you worry about Logan, don't blush, even he knows you do, and you two aren't even related! (Though I bet you wish you were closer than that to him...)"  
  
"Shut up!" Rogue said, blushing even harder. "But you're probably right about Milana. I wonder how they separated? And Kurt never mentioned he had family..."  
  
"Oh well, like the professor says, they'll tell when they tell." Jubilee said. Rogue suddenly smiled.  
  
"But Logan and Hank heard something," she said.  
  
"What? They know?" Jubilee said, a mischievous smile on her face. Rogue nodded.  
  
"Yep, it has something to do with bad memories and Kurt had a wife!" Rogue said excitedly.  
  
"Well everyone's guessed the bad memories part, duh," Jubilee said. "But a wife? Cool! Wonder where she is?"  
  
"Maybe they're secretly trying to find her, like she was kidnapped or something!" Rogue said. Jubilee looked thoughtful.  
  
"Yeah! And Kurt had gotten away, but Milana had gotten away before him, and they couldn't find each other, and her mom was gone to because she got away and was also separated-"  
  
"-And the professor is helping them find her-"  
  
"-And they don't want to talk about it because they were beat up and stuff when they were prisoners and were concerned about the wife." Jubilee finished.  
  
"Wow, we could've figured the whole thing out right there," she said, laughing.  
  
"There's nothing funny about that assumption, even though it's wrong." Growled a voice behind them. Both teens spun around and saw Milana, looking very angry, standing with her hands on her hips and glaring at her friends.  
  
"Milana!" Rogue said. "We were just- I'm sorry."  
  
"Save it," Milana said, grabbing her sweater and walking away. She paused at the end of the hall. "My mother's dead." She said, then walked into her room and slammed the door. Rogue sighed.  
  
"We just screwed up bad," she said.  
  
"But we found out what happened to Milana's mom," Jubilee replied. "And why neither of them will talk about it." Rogue just walked away.  
  
Once in her room Milana threw the sweater across the room . Then she noticed something odd, very odd, and wrong. Mystique was sitting on her bed and smiling at her.  
  
*****  
  
"Alright, there it is." Scott said, looking through the window at the White House. "I'm going to circle around and check the-"  
  
"Holy shit!" Logan said. The entire back of the white house was black like a huge fire raged in it, firemen were nowhere to be seen, the entire place was deserted.  
  
"Where is everyone? This is the White House," Ororo said.  
  
"I'm betting the military is on it's way," Logan said. "And Magneto's here somewhere." Ororo and Jean nodded. Kurt looked around through the front window.  
  
"I vonder vere they are," he said.  
  
"So do I; so let's go find them," Scott said. The blackbird drifted down to the ground and landed with a bump, but even Logan didn't make a remark on the landing, instead he got up and headed out the exit. The rest of the team followed and looked around then turned to Scott, besides Logan who stayed on the lookout.  
  
"Alright, let's head out in a group, I don't think we should attempt looking for Magneto in pairs or less," the brown haired man said. The rest of the team nodded.  
  
"Vere are ve going first?" Kurt asked.  
  
"I think probably inside the White House, looking around the grounds as we go. Alright, everyone ready? Let's go find the Brotherhood." Once they got to the White House doors Logan looked around.  
  
"Still empty, and quiet, I don't like it," he stated. Scott stepped forward and pushed on the door, which swung open easily. He walked in and the rest followed.  
  
"Alright, be on the lookout for anything that doesn't look ordinary for the White House, as well as anyone. Don't forget, Mystique could be anyone, so we stick together. Got it?" Again everyone nodded and they walked forward, through hall after hall. Every room they passed, besides a few overturned chairs or other pieces of furniture, were empty and untouched. When they reached a large staircase they stopped, Mystique was on the top and grinning down at them, her yellow eyes flashing.  
  
"Well, didn't take long for Xavier's Pep Squad to show up," she said, her many toned voice echoing off the walls. Logan growled as his claws unsheathed, but Ororo but a restraining hand on his shoulder.  
  
"What are you doing here Mystique?" Scott demanded, a hand up on his visor. Mystique smiled, her white teeth almost glowing at them.  
  
"Oh, if I told you know there wouldn't be any fun in this, would there?" she said.  
  
"What do we do?" Jean whispered.  
  
"I say kill her," Logan growled. "We can find out what Mag-ass is doing later- arh!" Suddenly Logan started to float in the air, and Magneto's voice drifted down to them, though the man's physical body remained unseen.  
  
"Now now my dear Wolverine, is that really the language we use in the White House? What if our good President were here?" Logan grimaced as his claws began to spread apart and then return to normal, only to spread apart further again. Ororo backed away a step as he rose higher.  
  
"Logan!" She cried. Scott thought for a split second as Logan rose higher.  
  
"Kurt, get him down from there!" he said. Kurt disappeared in a puff of blue smoke, reappearing right next to Logan in midair and then grabbing him, then both disappeared and landed a second later on the floor, but Logan just started to rise again.  
  
"No tricks," Mystique called. "None of that annoying teleportation Kurty." Kurt glared at her as Logan grunted again, sweat trickling off of his forehead.  
  
"Scott, we've got to help him!" Ororo said urgently. Scott jumped up and grabbed Logan's foot as it started to drift out of reach.  
  
"Scooter, pulling my leg off isn't gonna help," Logan growled.  
  
"Shut up, Logan," Scott panted as they rose a bit higher, Logan's speed slowing down with the added weight. Scott looked down at Ororo, Kurt, and Jean, who were just staring at the duo. "Storm, get some lightning ready!" he hollered. Ororo nodded and her eyes went white, the outside becoming dark and rain striking the windows.  
  
"Aw, isn't that cute?" Mystique said, laughing at Logan with Scott hanging off his foot.  
  
"Cuter when I get down and kill you, bitch," Logan growled. His claws stretched out further and he grimaced, a low groan escaping from his throat.  
  
"Scott! Be careful!" Jean said urgently.  
  
"Oh yeah, tell Scooter to- ah!" Logan gasped and a sickening snapping sound came from his body.  
  
"Logan!" Ororo cried. "What happened?"  
  
"OW!" was all Logan could reply. Scott looked down at the six feet between him and the heads of his teammates and let go, landing with a grunt on the floor.  
  
"We've got to get him down!" Jean said urgently.  
  
"Jus' go after Mags, soon as you distract him I'll get down and come to help out," Logan growled. Scott nodded.  
  
"Best idea, come on!" he said. They looked up at Mystique, but Kurt let out a gasp. Instead of Mystique, Milana was in her place, her purple face smiling at them.  
  
"Calm down Kurt, it's only Mystique," Scott said, putting a hand on Kurt's shoulder. The blue man shook his head and nodded, and instantly 'Milana' laughed and tore off down the hall. All four X Men gave chase immediately, running up the stairs and turning a few corners when they spotted Milana, who giggled.  
  
"Cut it out Mystique, you can't fool us," Scott hollered. Suddenly Mystique, in her natural blue scaled body walked in from a door and stood by Milana, who smiled at her.  
  
"Is someone looking for me?" Mystique asked. All four X Men froze.  
  
"Milana?" Kurt gasped.  
  
"Hey pops," Milana called back, still smiling.  
  
"What are you doing?!" Scott said, his mouth hanging open. Milana ignored him.  
  
"Alright, you've got them, now I want my money." She said.  
  
"Not yet," Mystique hissed. "Not until their dead, that was the deal."  
  
"If you can't handle them here you really are pathetic, *it* is right there and I need to get outta here before they miss me at school." Milana hissed back. Mystique glanced up at the X Men and then walked back out of sight, returning a moment later with a case. Milana opened it and Kurt caught a glimpse of a bunch of folded up bills before she snapped it closed again. Taking the suitcase in one hand she stuck out the other.  
  
"Nice doing business with ya," she said. Mystique shook her hand and Milana looked at Kurt, smiling.  
  
"Sorry papa, but I need to get outta here before Xavier finds out I'm gone. Nice knowing you," she said, bounding out of the hall. Kurt had only taken a few steps forward when a huge boom echoed through the halls as the floor ahead of him exploded.  
  
*****  
  
Kurt woke up and for a few moments unable to see anything in focus. A bright light was in front of him, and vaguely he wondered if he was dead and had managed to get to Heaven. But his head started to pound and slowly he could see more. After a minute he found he was in the medical bay at the school.  
  
"Vot?" he whispered hoarsely. His throat, his head, everything ached and nothing would move, he couldn't even turn his head.  
  
"Kurt? Oh thank goodness, I was worried about you my friend," Kurt looked around slowly, then saw Hank standing over him with a smile on his face. Kurt's eyes closed again and he tried to take a deep breath.  
  
"Vere, vot happened?" he croaked.  
  
"You were almost killed, that's what. You've been out for a week and a half already." Hank said, "You took the worst hit of all of the X Men, all the other's had woken up. I was worried we were going to lose you." Kurt tried to register this, but the last he could remember was Milana running off and then a bright light... Kurt's eyes snapped open.  
  
"Milana! Vere is she! Vot vos-" Hank suddenly seemed angry and held up a hand.  
  
"You need your rest, Kurt, you're in no condition to be getting excited like this." He said.  
  
"But Mil-"  
  
"Don't think about her, go back to sleep." Hank ordered, turning away. Kurt tried to speak again, but a wave of exhaustion took his and his head sank back onto the examination table.  
  
*****  
  
Kurt woke up again faster, his eyes taking in the sight of Hank in one corner, Jean with her arm in a sling and reading some papers. She looked up and smiled at Kurt, walking over.  
  
"Hey sleepy head," she said softly. "Feeling alright?" Kurt nodded painfully.  
  
"Better," he said.  
  
"Glad to hear it," Jean replied. "You're going to be sore for a while, but I don't think there will be any lasting effects, thank goodness."  
  
"Vere is Milana? Vot vos going on?" Kurt demanded. Jean paused.  
  
"I think you should speak with the professor about that," she said timidly. Hank got up and walked out of the room huffily, just as Logan walked in, holding a bottle of beer.  
  
"Oh, the elf's awake," Logan remarked, taking a long sip. "That's good."  
  
"Vere is Milana?" Kurt demanded again. Logan choked on his beer and then scowled.  
  
"She ain't here Kurt," he growled.  
  
"Vere is she? Vot vos she doing at the-"  
  
"Elf, she's gone. She set us up for a load of cash and then hauled ass, left everything but the valuable stuff." Logan said.  
  
"Vot?" Kurt said.  
  
"Logan, don't-" Jean started to say. Logan crushed the can with his fingers.  
  
"She betrayed us," Logan spat. "She betrayed you." 


	12. A Thief

Be nice, this is the first time I've ever used Remy LeBeau and I have never attempted to do his accent in my life, so just be easy and please tell me nicely if I'm wrong with something, no "YOU SUCK!" reviews, please!  
  
I love reviews and my readers!  
  
GiveGodtheGlory; CALM DOWN! Milana does not have an evil twin, I promise! Anyway, I'm so happy you keep giving me reviews, thank you so much, and even I don't know how my brain works, I try and adapt to it.  
  
Auron is my man; *shrugs* nope, Kurt doesn't know about Mystique. Well, you keep reading this and keep reviewing. But I agree, I was kinda mean t' de papa, lol.  
  
bmw-193; kinda confusing me to, but I shouldn't tell you that, I am the writer (LOL).  
  
FireManiac95; Ok, read read read!  
  
You have to keep reviewing to keep reading this! So REVIEW!!!!  
  
-Ice Lynx  
  
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Milana woke up slowly, her eye staring straight up at a dirty, ugly ceiling covered in flaking plaster. Her head pounded as she slowly sat up, an old blanket falling off her. She was sitting on an old mattress.  
  
"What happened?" she groaned, holding her head in her hands. She heard some soft laughter and then a heavily accented voice.  
  
"You 'ad a liddle nap, petite. An' de nap last longer den Remy ever see before. Lucky Remy found you, mos' t'ieves not'as nice as he." Milana jumped and looked around, to her horror spotting a man relaxing on a pile of crates stacked in the corner of a tiny, dingy room. He had brown hair, and a long brown trench coat that covered black leggings. He was shuffling a deck of cards with fingerless glove covered hands. The oddest thing about this man though, was his eyes. They were red and black, like a demon's and Milana was chilled looking at them.  
  
"Mystique," Milana growled, "She- ow."  
  
"Take't easy chere."  
  
"Who are you, and where am I?" Milana demand. The man laughed again.  
  
"Remy LeBeau, more offen know as Gambit. You in my 'umble home, chere. An' what're you called?" the man said.  
  
"Milana... sometimes the Ghost," Milana said slowly. "What happened?" Remy cocked an eyebrow.  
  
"Dunno petite, I foun' you in de streets o' de Big Apple, all drunk lookin," he said. "Thought de police were comin, brought you up 'ere. Don' worry, I didn't do nuthin to ya," he laughed. Milana was still uncomfortable, and not sure where she was. There was a small grimy window, but she couldn't see anything out of it. Slowly she stood up, but her head started aching so bad she sat back down.  
  
"Somethin' wrong chere?" Remy asked.  
  
"My head, I gotta get outta here, I've got to get outta here and get back to the school, to my father," she moaned, rocking back and fourth. Remy dropped his legs and sat up straight, putting his cards down.  
  
"Take it easy, chere, don't hurt yourself," he said, his chiseled features looking at the teen with a hint of worry. "The petite does have frens an family den?"  
  
"Yeah," Milana said. "My dad, we live at a school."  
  
"A school?" Remy said. "A school fer muties like us? Remy heard of dat place. Never been dere, but I heard of it." Milana's head snapped up.  
  
"You have?" she said. "Really?" Remy nodded, smiling and shuffling the cards that reappeared in his hands. "How do you get there?" Milana asked.  
  
"Remy will take you dere in the mornin, you need sleep now, petite." The Cajun leaned back on his crates, and slightly at ease Milana also laid her head back down, though she didn't sleep. Soon she could head Remy sleeping peacefully, his cards still in his hand. She had no idea who he was or what he was planning, but if all he had were devil eyes she felt alright, well, the eyes and that stick hanging out of his other hand.  
  
"Ah, chere, get some sleep. Remy won't carry you t' de school," Gambit groaned, opening one eye. Milana rolled over and drifted off into a deep sleep, her head notice at all, still pounding.  
  
*****  
  
"She couldn't have, not Milana," Kurt said weekly. Jean looked at the floor.  
  
"It was her, I could hear her thoughts and she was definitely Milana," she said quietly.  
  
"Smell her to, after. Only Ro and Jean stayed conscious, Mystique took off and I could smell both of them." Logan said.  
  
"Milana wouldn't..."  
  
"Then where is she now, Kurt?" asked a voice behind him. Kurt looked and saw Hank, who was scowling. "Where is Wolf, who took her things and left nothing, only the worthless things and then went with our foe to help kill you?"  
  
"She called you 'pops', no one besides us knew your connection with her," Jean reminded him. A tear trickled down Kurt's cheek as he hung his head.  
  
"She could not have done that, it vos a trick," he said weakly.  
  
"Kurt," Jean began, going to put a hand on his shoulder. But with a *bamf* and puff of blue smoke he disappeared, Jean sighed.  
  
"Poor man," she said. She looked at Kurt and Logan. "What would drive Milana to do such a thing?" she asked.  
  
"Who knows?" Hank said, sighing and collapsing in his chair. "They gave her a lot of money for it, as I understand." Logan growled.  
  
"A shit-load of money, a suitcase full," he said. "If I ever see that girl again...." he let the threat hang and marched out of the room. Hank and Jean lapsed into silence, Jean going through her papers and checking on her broken arm and Hank working on his computer.  
  
In another part of the school the professor came out of Cerebro and looked at Scott and Ororo, who were waiting for them.  
  
"She's near New York, she hasn't moved for a while." He said. Scott glared at the floor.  
  
"She betrayed her own father," he said angrily. Xavier sighed, understanding the anger but not feeling himself. He was confused more than angry, he couldn't understand why Milana, who was doing so well here at this school would turn around and help Eric and Mystique in a plan to kill the X Men and Kurt.  
  
"Do you think she'll ever come back?" Ororo asked. There was a large gash over her eye, several stitches holding it together. Scott had been unconscious and received a sprained ankle, and all of the X Men had bruises all over them. Xavier sighed.  
  
"I wish I knew," he said.  
  
*****  
  
The next morning Remy shook Milana gently.  
  
"Wake up, chere, we goin' t' de school," he said. Milana groaned and then opened her eyes, gasping at seeing the grinning Cajun so close to her face. Remy laughed as she sat up.  
  
"Ugh, but it's not even light out!" she groaned, looking at the small window.  
  
"Common petite, we're walking t' de school, we won' get dere afore night fall if we don' leave now." Milana slowly got too her feet and stretched. "You all right chere?" Remy asked. "You' head not going t' explode on de way?"  
  
"No, I'm fine. Thank you so much for the help Remy," she said.  
  
"No problem chere, Remy never like t'see a belle like yerself in distress," he said, flashing her a smile. Milana arched an eyebrow and he laughed, walking over to the door and opening it, bowing and gesturing with his hand. "Petite's firs'" he said. Milana walked out the door and Gambit caught up with her and then took the lead as they marched down a short hall in the same condition as his room. Right before they went through the door Remy pulled out a pair of glasses and put them on, covering his eyes. Then they went out the front door and into a busy street.  
  
"So who exactly are you anyway?" Milana asked as they walked. Remy grinned.  
  
"I de bes' t'iever in de 'ole city," he said. "Remy de bes' at 'nything he does." Milana grinned back.  
  
"Well, you also seem to have a soft spot for 'petites'," she joked. Remy chuckled.  
  
"Yeah, Remy always 'ave a sof' spot fer belles," he said. Milana nodded, and they continued to walk. Milana looked around nervously, not having a hood, hat, or coat to hide her fur. Remy noticed her discomfort and smiled. "Do' worry chere, dis area know Remy, dey won't so 'nything to a petite wit' me."  
  
"But what about when we get into the city?" Milana asked nervously. Remy laughed.  
  
"Dat's why we wake early chere," he said. "We're on de other side o' de city, anyway, muties no' welcome dere. Human's, dey kill mutie when de mutie dumb 'nough t' go in t' dere an' expose demselves."  
  
"Don't I know it," Milana muttered. Gambit cocked an eyebrow but said nothing, instead he linked an arm with Milana as they walked down the street, heading for Westchester. 


	13. Returning to the Mansion

"Professor! Professor!" Ororo ran through the halls up to Xavier's office and flung open the door. Xavier looked up as the white haired woman rushed into his office.  
  
"Yes Ororo?" Charles Xavier asked.  
  
"Kurt's missing," She said breathlessly. Xavier immediately left to go to Cerebro.  
  
"Ororo, I want you to get the team together, I'll try and find him using Cerebro." Xavier said.  
  
"Jean and Hank said he should take it easy, and he disappears. That's not like Kurt," Ororo said. Xavier stopped right outside the door to Cerebro and looked up at her.  
  
"Yes, but he's been through a lot in a very short amount of time, we can't expect him to act like the Kurt we all knew before," he said. Ororo nodded and the professor entered Cerebro, the door sliding shut behind him. Ororo immediately went to find the other X Men, and had them gathered in the hallway within twenty minutes, just as Xavier came back out.  
  
"Well?" Logan demanded. "Where's the elf?"  
  
"He's in town, at a bar." Xavier said. This took all of them by surprise.  
  
"Kurt? At a bar?" Scott said.  
  
"That's like Scooter at a wrestling match, it never happens," Logan growled.  
  
"We need to get him back here, he's had a serious concussion among other injuries," Hank said.  
  
"Jean, Logan, and Scott, please go get him back," Xavier said. The three nodded and immediately walked off, though Jean hesitated and caught the professor's eye for a brief moment. She had picked up on something else that the professor had seen in Cerebro. Rather, two some-things.  
  
*****  
  
"Hang on, petite, I need some'ore smokes." Remy paused and walked into a small shop.  
  
"Alright, but no thieving Gambit," Milana hissed.  
  
"Ouch, chere, you break Gambit's heart," Remy said, laughing. "Bein' on de lookout for ol' Remy to thieve." Milana also laughed and waited by the doors for Remy to buy his cigarettes.  
  
"Common, we're almost there. They've got the best food you can find 'round here," Milana said. Remy hesitated.  
  
"I dunno, Millie," he said. "I don' fit well in de 'ole school scene."  
  
"At least stay for some food," Milana said, rolling her eyes. "Common, the only thing bigger than your mouth is your stomach."  
  
"You're so mean to poor Remy," Remy said, chuckling. "But you're righ', maybe Remy comes t' de big mansion for dinner." The pair walked out of the shop, Remy, stowing the cigarettes in his trench coat but lighting one and placing it in his mouth loosely. Up ahead of them was the road that lead up to the mansion, Milana was almost home.  
  
*****  
  
"Hey buddy, you gonna drink that or just look at it all day?" The bar tender looked at Kurt, actually at the hologram from his image inducer that made the blue man look normal. Kurt stared at the drink in his hands and took a sip, knowing he shouldn't be here but not really caring. His mind was still on his daughter and what his teammates had told him, what he himself had seen in the halls of the White House.  
  
There was no doubt that it was Milana they saw, none at all. She looked, smelled, and thought like Milana and the only other known shape-shifter had been standing next to her. Kurt had watched his only daughter take money from Mystique and then call to him, then leave right before a pre-planted bomb went off right in front of his face, the bomb she knew about.  
  
'Vill you trust your instincts, or vot your friends say, vot your eyes told you?' Kurt asked himself. He downed the whole glass of beer as he realized the logical answer; his daughter, for whatever reason, had tried to kill him.  
  
"Want another bud? You look like you could use it," said the bartender. Kurt nodded and watched the man poured more beer into his glass, once, twice, maybe Logan was right, this drink wasn't that bad.  
  
*****  
  
Milana and Remy stood at the edge of the woods, looking up at the mansion. Remy held his cigarette and whistled softly.  
  
"Whoa chere, dis place isn' half bad," he said.  
  
"No thieving," Milana said, grinning. She started to walk forward out of the woods when she noticed Remy wasn't following her. "What's wrong Rem?" she called. Remy shrugged and took off his sunglasses, also stowing them in a pocket.  
  
"I dunno bou' this," he said. "Remy not good wid psychics, and dere be a whole lot o' dem up dere." Milana smiled.  
  
"If you promise not to run off I'll go get some food then, and we can have a picnic if you're so afraid of the professor," she said. "Dad'll probably come too; I bet you'd like eachother." Remy smiled.  
  
"You go and grab de food, Remy wait for you righ here like a good Cajun," he said. Milana rolled her eyes and once again started to walk up the lawns near the driveway. Up in the school she saw the garage doors open and a SUV drive out. Grinning she changed direction and walked closer to the driveway, waving at the silver car as it drove closer. Inside she could see Logan and Scott, Scott was driving, and someone else, maybe Ororo or Jean was in the back seat. Milana waved, and the car slammed on it's brakes.  
  
*****  
  
"Oh my GOD!" Scott yelled, grabbing the steering wheel and practically standing on the brakes. The car swerved and skidded sideways as Logan roared out in surprise and Jean shrieked. The car stopped, and the three X Men sat in complete shock. Milana was standing, looking shocked and worried, right in front of their car.  
  
"It's her!" Scott gasped. Logan growled as he kicked the door open and jumped out, slamming the door shut.  
  
"Logan! Wait!" Jean called.  
  
"Hey Logan, what's wrong?" Milana asked.  
  
"You sorry little bit-" *snikt*. Logan charged at a startled teenager and roared, swiping at her.  
  
"What the?!" Milana cried, leaping to the side as she narrowly avoided the claws she rolled away. Logan spun around, the other three claws shot out. Scott and Jean jumped out of the truck.  
  
"What's going on?!" Scott yelled. "Logan! Stop!"  
  
"I'll kill her, I swear to god I'll kill her!" Logan yelled, jumping forward at Milana again. Again the teenager just barely avoided the first swipe, but the second ripped into her shoulder.  
  
"What is wrong with you- ah!" Milana cried out.  
  
"Scott, something's not right here!" Jean said urgently.  
  
"Yeah, what the hell is she doing here?" Scott replied.  
  
"No, I don't, she doesn't know why Logan's attacking her! Something's wrong- " her sentence was cut short by a small flash of yellow and then an explosion. Out of nowhere Gambit appeared, wielding his Bo staff expertly he lunged himself at Logan, who was taken completely off guard.  
  
"Remy! No!" Milana yelled as Remy sent Logan flying with a powerful kick.  
  
"Who the hell is that?" Scott said. Remy backed off, standing in front of Milana, glaring at Logan as another card appeared in his hand.  
  
"Remy, no!" Milana said, putting a hand on her friend's shoulder. Remy turned around and looked at the long cut running across it. The wound was shallow, but blood ran down Milana's arm already.  
  
"No one hurts Remy's frens," the Cajun said, his voice dangerous as he turned back to face Logan, who was on his feet and glaring at the man, his chest heaving and sweat running down his forehead.  
  
"Stay 'way from Milana," Remy yelled at him, holding up his playing card at Logan. "Or you'll regret t'day, de day you met Remy LeBeau." Logan growled but Jean stepped in front of him.  
  
"Stop it Logan, something's not right here, Milana has no idea why you're attacking her!" the red haired woman said.  
  
"She betrayed us!" Logan roared. "She betrayed Kurt! And she comes back, smiling and waving? Like we were supposed to forget? Like Kurt wasn't almost KILLED?!"  
  
"What?" Milana said, staring at Logan. She began to walk forward but Remy grabbed her good shoulder and she just gaped at the Canadian. Logan spat at her, but Jean pushed him back when they all heard a loud *BAMF*, and Kurt tumbled through the air and fell over right between the two pairs of mutants.  
  
"Dad!" Milana yelled, breaking free of Remy's grasp and rushing forward. Jean, Logan, and Scott also ran forward, and Scott and Jean bent down to look at Kurt, who was obviously drunk, while Logan's face contorted with rage. He turned around and pointed his claws at the purple teen.  
  
"You take one step closer and your hear will role before you can blink," the gruff man snarled. Kurt groaned and sat up, and Milana tried again to go to him, but Logan shoved her roughly away. Milana tripped and fell to the ground.  
  
"Dad!" Milana shouted. Scott helped Kurt to his feet, putting one of the blue man's arm around his shoulders. Kurt looked up and seemed to recognize his daughter, lying on the ground and bleeding from one arm, and his eyes focused for a moment.  
  
"Get avay," he said, his eyes narrowing as he was held up by Scott for support. Milana stared at him, speechless. Up from the direction of the school the front door slammed open, and Ororo, Hank, and a few of the older students including Rogue stood for a split second before Ororo and Hank took off running towards them.  
  
"Daddy-" Milana said softly, here eyes pleading with the drunken man. But Scott pulled Kurt away. Logan growled and took a step towards Milana, but in a flash Remy was in front of him, Bo staff ready in his strong grip. Milana stumbled to her feet and backed away, then turned and ran back to the woods.  
  
"Chere!" Remy called after her. The brown haired man turned around and followed his friend as Ororo and Hank caught up with the X Men.  
  
"Was that?" Ororo said, staring at Milana's fleeting back.  
  
"She's here?" Hank sputtered. "Did she attack you? Where is, oh no, let me see him Scott, *move*," Hank and Jean gently laid Kurt down by the car and began to examine him. "He's drunk!" Hank said. Jean nodded.  
  
"What is going on? Was that her? Who was that young man?" Ororo asked, looking at the seething Logan and still-startled Scott.  
  
"No time for that now, we need to get Kurt back in case he damaged something else," Jean said. Hank nodded and he and Scott put him in the car, Hank squeezed into the back and the other X Men got in. The car started and immediately headed back to the mansion.  
  
*****  
  
"Milana!" Remy cried out, looking around for the teen. "Chere! Where you hidin'? Milana!" Walking deeper into the woods the Cajun suddenly spotted a small bush ahead that looked like had been run into, a little bit of blood on the leaves. Hurrying forward Remy soon heard the sounds of Milana sobbing. He found her just ahead and dropped his Bo stick, kneeling besides his friend.  
  
"Ah, petite, you don' 'ave de best frens, I tink," he said softly, sitting down next to her. Milana only cried harder as Remy pulled her into his lap.  
  
"They wanted me dead! They were my friends! And dad..." she broke off as another wave of tears ran down her face.  
  
"Aw, chere, hush," Remy said softly, looking at her hair. "Don' tink about dem, petite wit' Remy now. We're frens now, you don' need famly dat try'n kill ya." Milana didn't respond and Remy looked down at the cut on her shoulder. Anger flashed through his mind as he thought of how the short man had attacked Milana without warning. Remy had been watching, smoking in the shade of the trees and leaning against one of the trunks. He had watched Milana going to meet the silver car when it swerved, and the man had jumped out and charged the obviously confused Milana.  
  
Remy had thrown down his cigarette and charged a card as he ran to help his friend, throwing the card and making it explode near enough to the group to startle them but not close enough to injure Milana, and then he had reached the fight after the short guy had gotten one good swipe. Then Milana had tried to stop him, and then the blue drunk had appeared out of nowhere, but Remy had stayed. In the short amount of time he had known Milana he had already forged a good friendship with her, even though they hadn't met before. But no matter how long he had known them for, no one attacked one of Remy's friends and got away with it.  
  
"Common petite, we godda' look 't de wound," Remy said, taking off both gloves putting a hand on Milana's arm and wiping the blood off. "T' not dat bad, bu' we need ban'ges. Remy don' 'ave more money, bu' I'll get dem." He slowly got up and took off his trench coat, putting it over Milana. "You wai' righ' here chere," he said.  
  
"You're gonna steal them, aren't you?" Milana said, using her good hand to wipe away tears and looking up at him. Remy nodded.  
  
"Remy need t' go t'ievin'," he said. "Don' worry, Remy get de tings he need t' fix de lil' belles arm, be 'ere wen I ge' back, righ'?" Milana nodded and looked at the forest, in the direction opposite the mansion. Remy picked up his Bo staff and disappeared into the forest, going as fast as he could, he wasn't too comfortable leaving Milana alone that close to the mansion.  
  
*****  
  
Xavier knew everything before Scott and Ororo pulled Logan into his office. Logan stopped fighting when he saw the look on Xavier's face. The Canadian sat down and growled.  
  
"She came back," he snarled. "That little slut came back."  
  
"I know," Xavier sighed. Like Jean he knew something was wrong with what had happened, but Logan was too furious to listen. Scott also thought something was amiss, but he had carefully made his face expressionless.  
  
"What do we do now?" Ororo asked.  
  
"Go hunt that backstabber down and show her what metal knifes in her throat feels like," Logan muttered.  
  
"Logan, cut that out," Xavier said sharply. Logan glared at him but didn't say anything else.  
  
"I'm going to find out where she is," Xavier said. "Meanwhile I think we should all be on the lookout for her, or the young man that also came."  
  
"Who was he professor?" Scott asked. "He called himself Remy LeBeau; he seemed mighty protective of Milana." Xavier shook his head.  
  
"I don't know, maybe someone the girl met up with after she fled the White House, I really have no idea," he said. Then he turned and left, and the X Men followed him. Ororo and Scott went after Xavier down the hall towards the elevator, but Logan paused and turned around, heading the other way.  
  
"Where are you going?" Scott asked.  
  
"To my room," Logan growled, not slowing down. Scott and Ororo watched him turn a corner and then sighed, they knew as well as he did where he was really going. At his room Logan opened the window and jumped out, landing heavily but already up and walking towards the forest Milana had run into. 


	14. Confused Fights

"Stop! Thief! Come back here!" Remy cursed as he tore out of the store he had bought his cigarettes at, clutching some bandages and some antiseptic in his hands. The store clerk shouted at him as the thief ran, it was sheer dumb luck that he had been caught. Knowing it wouldn't be good if he lead the police to Milana he ran off in the other direction, when he got out of the town he ran back behind the buildings.  
  
"Dam 'umans," Remy muttered as he ran.  
  
*****  
  
Xavier was surprised, Milana was still in the woods by the mansion; he could communicate with her if he tried. Thinking to himself the telepath decided that this might not be a bad idea, he could find out what was going on with the teenager and why she had done what she did, and why she had come back. Xavier took off his helmet and concentrated.  
  
~ Milan a~ he said. ~ Milana, please talk to me. ~  
  
*****  
  
~ Milana ~. There he was, Milana knew it was the professor, and it scared her. She didn't know what he wanted, but she was completely sure it was not to welcome her back to the School. He called her name again and she took a deep breath, it was obvious he would just keep looking for her until she was found.  
  
~ ... yeah? ~ she projected, closing her eyes. She heard a mental sigh of relief.  
  
~ I'm glad you stayed close enough to talk ,~ Xavier answered. ~ We need to discus much ~.  
  
~ What's going on professor? What was wrong with father, is he alright? ~ Milana asked immediately. Xavier paused, now he was confused. If she didn't know why Logan had attacked her, or what was wrong with Kurt... there was definitely something going on beyond what everyone thought.  
  
~ Kurt... he went to a bar. ~ Xavier said.  
  
~ He WHAT? ~ Milana thought-shouted. ~ What's the matter with him? What is wrong with all of you? I came back and got attacked by Logan, who was shouting that I betrayed all of you! ~  
  
~ We are all under that impression, Milana, ~ Xavier said. ~ Besides me, I honestly have no idea what to think now. ~  
  
~ You have? ~ Milana asked weakly. ~ I didn't do anything though! ~  
  
~ The entire mansion is currently in the state of mind that you set up the X Men at the White House, you led your father and the others into a trap for money. ~ Xavier said.  
  
~ I never did! I swear, I went into my room the night the X Men left and Mystique was there! ~ Milana said desperately.  
  
~ She was? ~ Xavier replied, trying to think.  
  
~ Yeah, and then she grabbed me, and next thing I know I wake up in New York city in some thief's room! And when I came back here, you guys were going to kill me! ~  
  
~ Milana, please, calm down, ~ Xavier said, sensing the teenager was close to hysterics.  
  
~ I didn't do anything, I swear! ~ Milana repeated, trembling. She needed Xavier to believe her, he had to. If he did, maybe the others, especially her father, would also believe her, and then she could get answers.  
  
~ Milana, we've been under this impression for almost two weeks, the idea had set in with most of us, I think even Kurt. ~ Xavier said as gently as possible, picking up on Milana's hopes. Milana was speechless.  
  
"Ah, petite, Remy nev'r run so fas' in me life," the tired Cajun tried to joke, walking into the clearing and putting the stolen goods down. Milana opened her eyes and looked at him. Inside Cerebro Xavier saw a brief image of a tall, muscular young man with brown hair and red on black eyes, smiling at Milana and putting some bandages down.  
  
~ Who is that? ~ Xavier asked.  
  
~ The thief, Remy, I... I'm going. Bye professor. ~ Milana said, tears in her eyes.  
  
~ Milana, wait! ~ Xavier called, but the purple teen had somehow managed to set up a weak shield, and Xavier didn't have the heart to break through it.  
  
"Petite? You alrigh'?" Remy said.  
  
"I'm ok Rem," she said softly. The Cajun sat down next to her and pulled off his trench coat as Milana sat up, looking at her arm closely. He reached over and grabbed the antiseptic, dousing some bandages.  
  
"Dis mite 'urt some," he warned. Milana looked at the forest floor.  
  
"That's ok," she said. Remy nodded and wiped the blood from around her wound, then carefully cleaned the cut itself, and for a moment it did sting, but Milana didn't move or give any sign of pain. Remy finished and then got more bandages, carefully wrapping the clean gash and then tying it off.  
  
"You ok, chere?" he asked. Milana nodded.  
  
"Thanks Remy," she said. "I've got to get out of here though."  
  
"I though' you live 'ere," Remy said. "An' you' papa, why all dis fightin? Dat small man wan' your blood." Milana looked away.  
  
"That was Logan, I'm no longer welcome here," she said.  
  
"You got that right kid," said a voice from behind her. She and Remy looked up to see Logan, all six claws unsheathed, glaring at Milana.  
  
"Logan!" Milana cried, her eyes widening in fear.  
  
"You're dead, kid," the Canadian spat. "You're dead for what you did."  
  
"You t'ch Lan you die," Remy said, standing up and grabbing his Bo staff.  
  
"Remy, don't," Milana begged. "He's got a healing mutation, no one can beat him."  
  
"Remy don' let no petite man t'rete non of 'is frens like dis, chere," Remy answered, not taking his eyes off Logan.  
  
"Back off, bub," Logan growled. "Lissen to her, she knew me well enough."  
  
"And you knew me to!" Milana replied, struggling to her feet.  
  
"I thought I did," Logan answered. "The elf did to."  
  
"I didn't do anything!" Milana said, stepping in front of Remy.  
  
"Chere," Remy said.  
  
"Hold up Gambit," Milana said angrily. The Cajun put his hand on her shoulder but didn't say anything.  
  
"Why do ya think Kurt went to that bar?" Logan demanded. "You sold us out, you meant for us to die, you meant for your father to die."  
  
"I never did!" Milana cried. "I love him, he's my father damnit!"  
  
"Was," Logan sneered. "And you were alive, but soon enough that'll be the past too." He leapt forward, claws flashing.  
  
"No!" Remy shouted, shoving Milana out of the way Logan landed on him instead, and three long red scrapes appeared across his chest.  
  
"Remy!" Milana shouted, tackling Logan and then springing to her feet. Remy groaned.  
  
"Ah, petite, dat man got de sharpes' claws Remy ever see," he said. Milana looked at the deep cuts and thanked God they weren't too deep. Logan watched her as she grabbed more bandages and hastily tried to stop the bleeding. The Canadian growled and grabbed Milana's shirt collar, hauling her off.  
  
"Chere!" Remy shouted, rolling over and pulling himself to his feet. Logan pinned Milana to a tree and put his claws up to her throat.  
  
"Logan... I... I didn't do it..." Milana gasped, raising her head away from the sharp points.  
  
"Yer lying through your teeth," Logan snarled. "You care more about that dirty thief than your father." Suddenly Remy grabbed Logan and pulled him off, and the gruff man hit the ground and sprang to his feet, but Remy had already charged a card and thrown it at him. Milana did the only thing she could think of.  
  
~ PROFESSOR! ~  
  
Xavier started and realized it was Milana.  
  
~ What? What's... oh no. ~ He said as images flooded into his head of Logan and Remy. The explosion, then Logan staggering to his feet, only to be struck by Remy's Bo staff again and again.  
  
~ Scott, Ororo, Jean, get down to the forest NOW. ~ Xavier said, sending a loud message to his students.  
  
~ What's going on Professor? ~ Jean asked.  
  
~ Just get down there and stop the fight! ~ Xavier answered.  
  
~ On our way- fight? ~ Scott asked.  
  
~ Just hurry, ~ Xavier said.  
  
In the clearing Remy backed away another step, another card in his hand.  
  
"Remy!" Milana cried. "Logan! Stop it, please!" Logan snarled and dodged the kinetically-charged card, leaping clear of the explosion and then lunging at Remy, who hit him in the head as hard as he could with his Bo staff, but not hard enough. A powerful kick sent the Cajun sprawling, landing on his back.  
  
"Stop! Logan, no!" Milana shouted again, jumping up and kicking Logan in the stomach. Suddenly the sky went dark and a powerful wind kicked up, and thunder ripped across the black sky.  
  
"Ro," Milana breathed, looking around. Then she saw Ororo, standing some twenty feet away, her eyes pure white. Scott and Jean ran up and Scott grabbed Logan, pulling him away from Remy and Milana, though he didn't turn his back to them, and his hand was clearly ready to open his visors. Milana bent down next to Remy, but the Cajun struggled to his feet, growling at Logan.  
  
"Remy tol' you t' leave 'Lan alone, Remy kill you," he said, trying to attack Logan again. Milana grabbed Remy with her good hand.  
  
"Stop!" she said. Remy glared at her.  
  
"Dat man wan' t' kill you, petite," he growled.  
  
"Please, Remy, stop!" Milana begged. Remy looked at her, then glared at the four X Men but lowered his Bo staff.  
  
"Remy no' kill'em now," he said. "Bu' he 'tacks again, Remy not stoppin' for you chere."  
  
"What is going on here?" Scott demanded.  
  
"I'll kill her," Logan snarled. "And that creep, I'll kill both of them."  
  
"Logan, stop!" Jean commanded, pushing Logan away. He glared at her.  
  
"We were leaving and he attacked us," Milana said, scowling at the four herself. "We didn't do anything to provoke him, Remy was fighting back in self defense."  
  
"Didn't do anything?" Logan shouted. "What about the elf?"  
  
"Cut it out, Logan," Scott snapped. The bad weather disappeared as Ororo came forward.  
  
"Why did you come back?" she asked. Milana looked away.  
  
"I wanted to be home, Remy was helping me out," she said.  
  
"You thought you could call this home after what happened?" Scott said angrily. Milana glared at him.  
  
"I don't know what happened, but I didn't do anything." She said hotly.  
  
"And I suppose there are two Milana's running around now?" Logan said. "Two of you, and both disappeared at the same time?"  
  
"You nearly killed your father," Jean said. "He was out for a week and a half, he took the worst hit from the bomb out of all of us. He took it because he was chasing after you ran off with the money Mystique and Magneto gave you for bringing us there." Milana stared at her, the confusion so evident on her face even Logan noticed it.  
  
"I was never at the White House," she said. "I was attacked in my room by Mystique and then woke up in Remy's apartment, he said he found me in the streets of New York."  
  
"De chere speaks righ'," Remy said. "I foun her, she had nut'in but de clothes she has on,"  
  
"Some story," Logan sneered.  
  
~ That's enough arguing, all of you, ~ Xavier said in all their heads. ~ Jean, you need to check Remy's cuts, And no one is to harm either of them until we figure out what's been going on for the last couple of weeks. ~  
  
"Is Remy de only one 'earring tings?" Remy wondered, looking around. Milana leaned over.  
  
"It's the professor, the telepath" she whispered. Remy shuddered slightly.  
  
~ You want a thief and a betrayer in the *school*? ~ Scott responded disbelievingly.  
  
~ I no longer am sure whether we were right about Milana or not, ~ Xavier replied to them. ~ And Remy is a good man, and he needs some medical help, as does Milana. Jean, please. .  
  
~ I'll trust you professor, though I don't agree with this either. ~ She said. Then she looked at Remy and Milana. "Come on," she said, turning and walking away.  
  
"I don't believe this," Logan growled. He walked behind Jean, and Ororo and followed, Milana pulled Remy along with her as he grabbed his trench coat and pulled it on.  
  
"Remy don' need t' go dere," he said nervously, eyeing the mansion as they left the forest.  
  
"Cut it out, you got yourself cut good and now you need to check it out," Milana said. Remy grumbled.  
  
"I ken look ou' for myself," he said. Milana arched an eyebrow and then said the only thing she could thing of.  
  
"Well, then come with me, cause I can't up there," she said. Remy looked at her for a second and then grinned.  
  
"Fine den," he said. "Remy can' let a petite like yerself face dese people 'lone." Milana just smiled at him sadly.  
  
"Thanks," she said. 


	15. We Were Mistaken

Rogue couldn't believe it. She had seen Logan run off to the woods, followed a while later by Ororo, Scott, and Jean, and she had seen Milana earlier. But now, seeing the four X Men leading Milana, the traitor who was now one of the school's enemies, and a man that had saved her from the incident earlier.  
  
"Oh my god!" Jubilee said, looking out the window. "It's her!"  
  
"Common, we need to check this out," Rogue said, tearing down the halls, followed by Jubilee.  
  
They reached the front door just as it slammed open, and Logan stalked through and growled at them, walking down the hall towards the kitchen, to his private stash of beer. Next came Jean, Ororo, and then Scott, and finally Milana and the mysterious guy came through. Both of them looked extremely nervous, and the man had three long cuts across his chest, obviously from Logan. Milana spotted Rogue and Jubilee, who both had their mouths and eyes wide open, but she looked away. The man looked up at them, and they jerked when he narrowed his demon eyes at them. No one said a word as the pair followed the three X Men down the hall.  
  
"Did I just see Milana and a freaky-eyed guy lead into our school?" Rogue asked. Jubilee nodded slowly.  
  
"There is no way in hell this could be right, something's definitely up," she said. "I think we should find out what it is."  
  
"Kitty can help," Rogue said, and both girls ran to find the wall walker.  
  
*****  
  
"Kurt, what in heavens name were you thinking, going down there?" Hank asked while fixing the bandage on the now-sober Kurt's head, who had gotten a nasty scrape when he had made then bad landing earlier.  
  
"Milana..." he said in a small voice.  
  
"She's gone, Kurt, you're going to have to face that. Killing yourself isn't going to help anything, and Milana isn't going to some back," Hank said seriously. Kurt nodded just as the door opened and Jean walked in, followed by Scott. Kurt turned to look at them and his jaw dropped, Milana was standing next to a stranger, looking scared. When she saw him she froze, and the man with her turned to look at her. Then she slowly backed up and moved out of sight.  
  
"Lan!" the man said, surprised. He went back out after her.  
  
"I'll check on her," Ororo said immediately, and the door slid shut. Hank was standing with an unreadable expression on his face, somewhere between shock and anger.  
  
"What is she doing here?" he said in a low voice.  
  
"She and Remy need help," Jean said. Kurt was still gaping at the closed door.  
  
"And you let them in?" Hank said. "Either they've done something to you or I've missed something, last I knew she tried to kill all of you."  
  
"The professor thinks she may not have," Scott said, tight lipped. "I'm not sure how, but he told us to help them."  
  
"I knew it!" Kurt breathed, going to get up. Hank grabbed his friends shoulder.  
  
"No, Kurt, you need to sit down and be careful," Hank said sternly.  
  
"I- Milana-" Kurt protested, going to get up.  
  
"Will still be here," Hank said. "Sit." Kurt didn't take his eyes off the door while Hank continued to check for problems.  
  
*****  
  
"I can't, oh god," Milana said, fighting back a tear as she slumped to the floor. "Look what I did, that was my fault..."  
  
"Aw chere, t' ain't your faul'," Remy said. Milana looked over at him, her eyes were slightly duller than usual and she seemed extremely tired all of a sudden.  
  
"Maybe..." she said. Ororo came over.  
  
"What's wrong?" she asked.  
  
"Dad... he told me to leave a little while ago... maybe I should..." she sighed. Despite her initial anger with the teen Ororo couldn't help but feel sorry for her.  
  
"Um, Mr. Remy-" she began. The young man smiled and an arched an eyebrow.  
  
"'Old up, chere," he said. "I'm Remy, no' married yet."  
  
"Alright, Remy," Ororo said. "You should go back in there and get those cuts checked out, Jean is waiting."  
  
"Nah, Remy be 'ere wid Lan," Remy replied. Milana suddenly glared at him.  
  
"Oh no you don't," she said. "You get in there and get those cleaned or I'll kick your thieving butt into next week." Remy looked ready to protest but sighed and stood up.  
  
"Remy'll be righ' back t' carry de petite in dere for 'er own cleanin'" he said, then walked off. As the door to the med-bay once again closed Ororo looked at Milana, straight in the eye.  
  
"We've known each other for a while now," the white haired woman said. Milana looked at the far wall.  
  
"Can't deny that." She said.  
  
"We're nearly sisters, or we once were." Ororo continued.  
  
"Seemed like it," Milana replied. Ororo sighed.  
  
"I want you to tell me the truth, did you help Magneto and Mystique that afternoon?" Ororo asked.  
  
"Would you even believe me if I did tell you the truth?" Milana asked. Ororo paused.  
  
"Yes, I would," she said. "For the sake of how close we were."  
  
"That being the case," Milana said, "I shouldn't have to tell you, or anyone else. You should know the answer yourself." Ororo nodded slowly.  
  
"You didn't do it, did you? But how that could have been someone else...." she said, then she looked at Milana carefully. Ororo sighed. "You need to get that shoulder checked, and Remy is probably being hard on Jean and the others, he seems the type."  
  
"He is," Milana said, smiling. Ororo stood up and offered her hand, pulling Milana up.  
  
"I'm sorry," Ororo said. Milana knew what she meant and shrugged, then followed Remy into the med bay.  
  
*****  
  
Kurt had leapt up when the door opened the firs time, and Hank had to grab him. But instead of Milana it had been the young man, who laughed at Kurt and then been taken by a severe-sounding Jean for a check. The second time the door opened and Milana did walk through Kurt was held back by Hank, who was ready for the reaction. Remy smiled at Milana and she weakly tried to smile back, looking at anything but the faces of her former teammates and especially her father.  
  
"You doin' 'k Lan?" Remy called across the room.  
  
"A lot better than you," Milana replied, walking over to her friend and avoiding Kurt.  
  
"That's the truth, actually," Jean said, pulling off the bandages for a quick glance at Milana's shoulder. "He had dirt in his cuts, probably from the rolling around during the fight." Remy grinned at the doctor.  
  
"Aw, dis be nut'in, chere," he said. "Remy ge' t'rugh worsen' dis." Jean raised an eyebrow but didn't respond further, and Milana looked at the floor.  
  
"Well, you're going to need something a bit stronger than the disinfectant you put on Milana," Jean said. "I need to really clean this and make sure you don't get an infection. This is going to take longer than I thought." Remy sighed and Milana's face fell slightly, the only reason she wasn't out the mansion door's already was she wanted to wait for Remy to be alright. Jean must have heard this thought because she looked at Milana for a brief instant and then ignored her.  
  
Kurt, meanwhile, was staring at his daughter as she hurried past him and went to sit by the man named Remy. For an instant Kurt looked at Remy closely and wasn't sure he liked the young man's looks, but then he wondered why Milana hadn't even looked at him.  
  
"Kurt, no," Hank said. Kurt looked at him and the doctor sighed, letting go. Kurt slowly stood up and walked over to Milana, and somehow Scott and Hank managed to make quick exits.  
  
"Milana?" Kurt asked in a soft voice. His daughter looked at the floor.  
  
"Hey," she said in a tiny voice. Kurt just stared at her, unable to believe that she was here, in front of him. After a moment Remy leaned over to her and whispered.  
  
"Is dat guy bothrin' you petite?" he asked. Milana looked at him.  
  
"He's my father," she answered.  
  
"None excuse, chere," Remy said. Milana looked at him and then at Kurt, their eye met for a brief second. Then she got up and left, hurrying past Hank, Ororo, and Scott who were waiting in the hall. Hank and Scott started to follow but they heard Xavier telling them to stop.  
  
~ She's just going to her old room, she's not a threat to us, ~ he said.  
  
~ But professor, what about- ~ Hank and Scott began.  
  
~ We were mistaken, ~ Xavier said shortly. Scott and Hank exchanged looks, but Ororo had smiled. She hadn't attacked them after all, Milana was just as hurt as they had been. Then the weather goddess began to worry about her friend, the guilt hitting her like a punch to her chest. Almost forgetting what the professor had said Ororo started to follow Milana herself, but Scott grabbed her arm. They all stared at the way she had left.  
  
"Oh my stars and garters," Hank breathed, just about summing up what they all felt.  
  
*****  
  
"Kitty, we're not joking, Milana's back!" Rogue hissed. The brown haired girl looked at her, then up and down the halls near their room.  
  
"Why would she be back, after what happened?" Kitty asked. Jubilee and Rogue shrugged.  
  
"We dunno," Rogue said.  
  
"But she did have a really cute guy with really scary eyes with her," Jubilee said. Kitty shrugged.  
  
"And what does this have to do with me?" she asked.  
  
"We need to figure out what's going on," Rogue said.  
  
"We need your help." Jubilee said.  
  
"Fine, what do we do?" Kitty asked. "But if you've set me up, well, Milana had better be here or I'll kill both of you. Now what?" Just then Milana half speed-walked, half ran past the group of girls and threw herself into her old room, slamming the door behind her. Kitty, Rogue, and Jubilee stared at it.  
  
"Believe us now?" Jubilee asked.  
  
"Oh yeah," Kitty replied.  
  
*****  
  
Milana looked around the room after she locked the door behind her. It was exactly like it was when she had last seen it, from the unmade bed with Mystique's pressure mark still on it and Milana's sweater in a heap near the wall. Slowly Milana looked around, opening the closet and bathroom doors, then checking underneath the bed. She didn't know what she was looking for, maybe proof that Mystique had attacked her, to prove to the others at the mansion, to prove to herself. Going through her drawers and then checking the bedspread Milana found nothing, and frustrated she grabbed her comforter and tore it off the bed, collapsing on it on the floor and then hearing a loud bang!  
  
Milana looked up slowly and saw that she had accidentally knocked over her trash can, spilling it contents over the floor.  
  
"Oh, this really helps," Milana muttered to herself, crawling over and starting to put stuff back when something caught her eye; a needle. Milana had never seen a needle before besides in the med-bay, and she certainly never had any up in her room.... Milana's breath caught in her throat as she held up the needle.  
  
"Are you what Mystique used on me?" she asked softly, looking at it closely as she moved over and sat on her bed, turning it over with her hands. If this was, then she could prove she had been taken from the mansion... and then they would all know she was telling the truth, and maybe even Logan could forgive her. Holding the needle carefully she stood up to leave, to go show Hank, to get the little bit of fluid still left in the needle tested.  
  
"Ah!" she said, tripping over the trashcan lid that had fallen off when the can had tipped over. Milana landed heavily and the point of the needle pierced her thumb, her weight pushing the remainder of the fluid into the small cut. Milana leapt up and yanked the needle out, sending little drops of the milky-white liquid into the air.  
  
"Shit, oh no," Milana said, turning around to go run her under hot water. Suddenly a wave of dizziness washed over her and she fell on her mattress, rolling off and landing on the comforter with the needle still in her hand as she closed her eyes and she went limp. 


	16. Milana Found

"Where de petite go, Remy wonder," Remy remarked, meaning Milana who had left a while ago. "Ow chere, Remy clean already!" he said as Jean put down her tools.  
  
"Fine then, I think I got it all. Let me wrap it and then I'll help you find Milana." She said, wrapping Remy's chest tightly. "Is that alright?" she asked.  
  
"Righ' an' tigh'," Remy said, trying to make enough room to breathe in the tightly bound bandage. Jean didn't say anything and looked over at Kurt, who was sitting on an examination table and staring at his hands, he hadn't moved since Milana had left.  
  
"Kurt, would you like to come? The professor said Milana is up at her room," Jean said. Kurt nodded slowly and got up, and then taking the lead as Ororo and Remy followed.  
  
"Dis mansion, bigger den i' looks from de outside," Remy commented. Ororo looked at him and then smiled.  
  
"Yes, it has to be in order to fit everything," she said. Remy nodded and sped up a little to keep up with Kurt, who had suddenly found his speed and after a moment was nearly running down the halls. They went up an elevator and then down another hall and then reached Milana's door.  
  
"Milana? Milana!" Kurt called, knocking on the door. "Milana, please open the door." He sighed and his shoulders dropped, his forehead hitting the door. Remy stepped forward and gently pushed him aside.  
  
"Le' Remy try," he said. Kurt moved away from the door to let Remy up to it.  
  
"If she vill come out," he said.  
  
"Hey petite," Remy called. "Why you leave Remy t' deal wid de ol' frens 'lone for?" he joked. Then the Cajun listened for a moment but didn't hear anything, so he knocked again. "Petite, open de door, you scarin' de papa." Remy waited, but still got no answer.  
  
"We haven't heard anything from her since she was muttering to herself in there," Kitty said from behind them, her head sticking out from a wall. Remy raised an eyebrow but didn't say anything, turning back to the door and knocking harder.  
  
"Petite, you worryin' Remy now," he said.  
  
"Kitty, would you please unlock the door? Just stick your hand in," Ororo said. Kitty nodded and emerged fully from the wall, walking forward and waiting for Remy to move out of her way before sticking her arm through. A moment later they heard a soft click and the knob turned. Kitty stepped back and allowed Kurt and Remy to go by.  
  
The room was an absolute mess; trash wall all over the floor and so was most of the drawers and the things in them. The closet and bathroom doors were swinging open, and the bedding was all thrown around on the floor. In the middle of the catastrophe was Milana, laying facedown on the comforter. Kurt and Remy ran in.  
  
"De petite breathin," Remy said. But before anything else happened Kurt gathered Milana into his arms and with a puff of blue smoke and loud *bamf* he and Milana disappeared. "No!" Remy shouted, frustrated. He got up and looked angrily at Ororo and Kitty, who were both just staring at him and trying to get over what they had just seen. Then Kitty spoke.  
  
"I can get you down there almost as fast," she said.  
  
Down in the med-bay Jean was cleaning up the scraps of bandages and other medical supplies when Kurt suddenly appeared, holding Milana in his arms and struggling to keep a hold of her and remain staying.  
  
"Kurt?" Jean asked, startled as she hurried over and helped the blue man put Milana on one of the examination tables. "What happened to Milana?"  
  
"I don't know," Kurt said, frustrated. "Ve valked in and found her, vot if she vos attacked?"  
  
"Who was attacked?" Hank asked, coming in through the door he stopped when he saw Milana, but further talk was cut off as Remy and Kitty fell out of the ceiling. Shadowcat landed on her feet, but Remy landed on Hank, sending both crashing to the floor.  
  
"Oof!" Hank gasped, his eye shooting open. Remy groaned and rolled off the large blue man.  
  
"Bad landin' chere," the Cajun gasped. Kitty giggled as Remy got to his feet. Then he saw Hank, who was blinking at the ceiling as if waiting for more strangers to fall on him through it. "Sorry," Remy said, holding out a hand and helping Hank up. Then he turned around and ran to Milana, Kurt, and Jean.  
  
"Wha' happen t' Lan?" he asked immediately. Jean shook her head and continued to check Milana's vital signs.  
  
"I have no idea, but she seems to be only unconscious. Maybe it was drugs or something," the doctor replied.  
  
"Milana does not do drugs," Kurt protested. Remy nodded.  
  
"De petite raggin' on Remy fer only smoking," he said. Hank stepped forward.  
  
"Let me get a blood sample," he said, taking out the needle he needed. "Then perhaps we can find out what's wrong with her."  
  
"Maybe this?" Ororo asked, walking in and gingerly holding another needle in her hand.  
  
"What's that?" Jean asked, looking at it closely. Ororo shrugged.  
  
"I found it in Milana's room, it musty have fallen out of her hand when Kurt picked it up. There's still some of whatever it is in there." Ororo handed the needle to Hank, who also took the needle with Milana's blood over to his computers to check the samples.  
  
"Well, she's not in any trouble right now," Jean sighed. "All we can do is wait for her to wake up." Kurt looked over at Remy, who was staring at Milana with an unreadable expression on his face.  
  
"Perhaps you two should get some food," Jean suggested, looking at the two men.  
  
"Nah, Remy stay here an wait for de chere t' wake up," Remy said, shaking his head. Kurt just stared at her with slightly glossy eyes.  
  
"Alright," Jean sighed. "But it may take a while."  
  
"I vill vait," Kurt said.  
  
*****  
  
"They're the same," Hank announced an hour later. Kurt and Remy looked up. "The drug in Milana's blood matches the drug that's in the needle Ororo found."  
  
"What kind is it?" Jean asked. Hank shook his head.  
  
"I have never seen anything like this before, but it's obviously very powerful, Milana did not receive that much this time." He said.  
  
"Lan sleep long time at Remy's home," Remy said, thinking. "Was dat de problem wit 'er?"  
  
"Wait a minute, how did you find her anyway?" Hank asked, looking at the young man closely.  
  
"De petite was in de city, Remy foun' her when I was gettin some food. She was breathin, so Remy took 'er home 'n kept her safe. She woke up two days 'go, yellin' bout mistakes 'n getting home. Remy heard 'bout dis place an took Lan here." Remy said.  
  
"She vos asleep for two veeks?" Kurt asked. Remy nodded. "And you are friends now?"  
  
"Yeah," Remy said. "N' Remy don' let anyone hurt 'is frens, so I stay here."  
  
"Milana is our friend to," Jean said automatically. Remy narrowed his eyes.  
  
"Dat short man proves chere's point well," he said darkly. Kurt looked at his daughter and then closed his eyes when he saw the bandage that covered her shoulder, what Logan had done in his rage.  
  
"If Milana was out all that time..." Jean broke off, thinking. Kurt didn't answer or look up, but the guilt was written all over his features. He had doubted his daughter, and then turned his back on her when she needed someone to stick up for her. It wasn't the alcohol, it was Kurt believing his mislead friends and leaving Milana to depend on a stranger for help. He was furious with himself. 


	17. The Offer

Half an hour later Milana groaned softly and opened her eyes, looking around her surroundings for a moment and then hearing a noise behind her.  
  
"Shh, Remy and your father are asleep," Jean said, smiling down at her. Milana looked to her left and started to smile herself, Kurt was sleeping on a chair, his head leaning against the wall and his mouth slightly open. Remy was actually standing up, his sunglasses covering his eyes but his lack of movement and soft breath giving his actual state of conscious away. That and he hadn't moved, though his face was pointed directly at Milana.  
  
"Ugh, what happened?" she asked softly. Jean looked at her somewhat sadly and sighed.  
  
"Too much," the red haired woman said. "I'm so sorry Milana, I don't know what-" Milana shook her head, and Jean didn't have to read her mind to know when to be quiet. Suddenly Remy started to tilt to one side, and in a second he fell over.  
  
"Wha?" the Cajun said, leaping to his feet and looking around, his glasses falling off. Then he saw Milana and grinned.  
  
"Ah, de belle wake up den, eh?" Remy said, grinning. Milana slowly sat up, her head pounding, just like it had last time she had woken up after... oh yeah, that's why she was down here, that stupid needle. She looked up at Jean, and from the slightly uncomfortable look on her face she knew that the telepath was already aware of the drug, and probably knew that Mystique was behind it.  
  
"Here, these will help with your headache," Jean said, handing Milana a couple of aspirin. The teen shook her head.  
  
"No thanks," she said, swinging her feet over the table and getting up slowly. Remy started forward and Jean was about to protest, but Milana held up a hand walking over to Kurt she hesitated, then put her hand on his shoulder. The blue man started.  
  
"Vot?" he said, shaking his head slightly to wake up. Then he saw Milana standing in front of him and sat up fast.  
  
"Milana!" he said, startled. Milana smiled, then narrowed her eyes.  
  
"You ever get drunk again, I will kill you," she said. Kurt looked down, not even smiling. The guilt on his face was evident, but Milana put her arms around him and hugged him tightly, which after a moment Kurt returned.  
  
"I am so sorry," he said. Milana didn't reply, and Remy looked at Jean, grinning.  
  
"Aw, dis is a lovin' momen', aint it chere?" he asked. Jean rolled her eyes but smiled, looking at the two and then at the Cajun.  
  
"Let them be for a while Remy," she said. "They need to work this out, we all do." Remy arched an eyebrow but said nothing, leaning on the medical table and replacing his glasses over his eyes, muttering to himself.  
  
"Remy see if Lan 'n de ol' frens get over dis," he said. "Lots o' dings t' ferget."  
  
*****************  
  
Two days later three things had spread through the entire school and two of them had been proven. The Ghost had returned, that was proven, also her name was cleared and she had brought a friend with her, a cute mutant who was good at fighting and better at cards. The last fact was proven in card games that Remy, being a card player by nature, had already held two miniature tournaments in the rec room. The third fact, however, was not a fact at all but a rumor that Kurt himself had attacked Milana in a drunken rage, or something close to it, and had been the one to give her the cuts on her shoulder.  
  
Milana was keeping to her room almost 24 7 and had already read two novels when she wasn't talking with Remy or Kurt, who visited her often, though unable to convince her to go outside her room for another two days. The whole atmosphere in the school was tense, some of the kids and adults still doubtful about Milana being innocent, and others confused about what was going on, and more wondering how Remy fit into the mold. But even during the poker games Remy had a few times he wouldn't answer, instead collecting a nice bit of money from gambling.  
  
On the fifth day since Milana's return Remy walked into her room and knocked on the door.  
  
"Petite? Remy gotta talk wid ya," the Cajun called. Milana looked up from her book as Remy came in.  
  
"Yeah? What's up?" she asked. Remy sat at the end of her bed and grinned, shuffling his deck of cards. Milana looked at him curiously but didn't prod, knowing the thief would say what he meant to say when he wanted to say it.  
  
"Remy be t'inking, petite unhappy here, non?" he said, looking at Milana closely through his red and black eyes. Milana looked back, used to the odd eyes by this time, and one of the few. On several occasions her father had implied his opinion of Remy, he wasn't too comfortable around the young man and didn't approve of his lifestyle or occupation at all. But after Milana explained how he had helped her since he had found her in New York he agreed that though the 'boy' sinned he was a good person over all, and thanked him many times for helping his daughter.  
  
"This is my home," Milana replied, looking back at her book. Remy sighed.  
  
"Chere don act like it," he said. "Stayin' in d' room all d' time 'n not talking wit de ol' frens." It was Milana's turn to sigh.  
  
"The professor said it'll take some time before everyone-"  
  
"But does Lan believe dat?" Remy interrupted. Milana looked up and stared at hi straight in the eyes.  
  
"There's a chance," she said.  
  
"Remy tink you don' believe what you wanna believe."  
  
"Remy," Milana said, leaning back and closing her book. "Please, I'm not in the mood for this discussion right now."  
  
"My 'pologies chere," Remy said, shrugging. "Remy jus' wondering if de petite wanna come live wid 'im in de big city." Milana stared at him, her mouth dropping slightly.  
  
"What?"  
  
"Live wid me, petite, den you 'ave a real home, n' Remy won' become 'n ol gray 'ermit." Remy said, chuckling. "Frens ken live t'gether, can't dey?" Milana looked at him closely, but saw only earnestness in his usually joking manner. Milana's thoughts were going everywhere. Was he being serious? Live with him? Leave the mansion, go to New York? She was purple, how would that work? But leave the mansion, even though she wasn't blamed for what happened at the White House openly it was a feeling that followed her whenever she left her room and met someone else. Logan would barely even look at her, though he didn't attack her again and apologized for her shoulder, which was obviously a forced interaction from the professor.  
  
"I- how could I tell you on the spur of the moment?" Milana choked out. Remy smiled.  
  
"Only one word petite," he said. "Yes." Milana kicked at him playfully.  
  
"You have ta give me time to think, LeBeau," she said. Remy nodded and stood up, walking to the door.  
  
"Fine den, you t'ink about it," he said, opening her door. "Jus' hurry, Remy goin' t' his home t'marow. Lan need t' decide by den." He opened the door and walked out, but Milana leapt up, with her book still in her hand.  
  
"You can't do that!" she yelled at his retreating back. Remy laughed as she yelled again. "You can't- stupid CAJUN!" Then she threw her book at him, though it missed, and walked back into her room to think. She needed to decide, but she knew she already had. How was she going to tell *him*? 


	18. Milana's Choice

"Daddy!" Milana knocked on her father's door and then went in, finding Kurt inside, sleeping. He woke up when the door opened and looked sleepily at her, then shook his head slightly to clear it.  
  
"Yes?" he asked.  
  
"Can I ask you something?" Milana asked, still at the door. Kurt got out of bed.  
  
"Of course, anything!" he said, stretching and sitting at the end of the bed. Milana went and sat down next to him.  
  
"Remy's leaving in the morning," she said. "He's going back to his apartment in New York City." Kurt, who had been looking slightly anxious, now appeared relieved.  
  
"I am sorry, he is a nice person," he said. "But you vill be able to see him, and he may come here venever he vants." Milana sighed and then looked at him.  
  
"He invited me to go with him." Milana said. Kurt jerked, much like she had when Remy made the offer in the first place.  
  
"He vot?!" Kurt said.  
  
"He offered for me to leave the school and go live with him, as friends."  
  
"No!" Kurt said immediately. Milana raised an eyebrow.  
  
"And who says it's your choice? I came looking for advice," she said. Kurt's eyes narrowed.  
  
"Because I am your father," he said. "You are too young-"  
  
"I'm old enough, and I can defend myself fine, and he's a great guy, and I'm not even welcome here anymore." Milana said, playing all but one card.  
  
"Vot do you mean you are not velcome here?" Kurt said. "You're name vos cleared, everyone believes you and know you did not do those things," he looked at Milana as she sighed.  
  
"Do you really believe everyone here thinks I'm innocent?" Milana asked. "Some of them, sure, but not everyone. Logan won't even look at me anymore, let alone talk. Every time I leave my room people here stare at me, just like when I first came to this school, only now it's worse. Half of the kids here still think I tried to kill all of you, and they glare at me or don't look at me at all." Kurt was startled by this sudden outburst.  
  
"It can't be that bad-" he tried.  
  
"When I walk into a room all of the conversation stops and everyone watches me until I leave," Milana said. "It is that bad."  
  
"It vill take time," Kurt said. "The professor told you it vill, in time-"  
  
"I'll go nuts and become a hermit," Milana replied, thinking about what Remy had talked about earlier. "I'll live in my room and get all solitary and practically be a widow, who never had a husband or even a boyfriend to leave or die on her." Kurt put an arm around Milana's shoulders.  
  
"Milana," he said, "How could you live in the city? You are purple." He stated this as a fact, trying to find some reason for his daughter to stay.  
  
"I'll ask the professor for an image inducer," she replied. "That's what you use."  
  
"It's dangerous there," Kurt said. Milana looked pointedly at her injured shoulder and Kurt got the message and tried again. "I'll miss you," he said.  
  
"Well I can't stay here forever anyway," Milana said. Kurt didn't reply, and his shoulders dropped as he let out a long breath.  
  
"Ven are you leaving?" he asked.  
  
"In the morning," Milana replied. "I've got to go." Then she stood up and walked out of the room, leaving her father behind.  
  
"LeBeau!" Milana called, knocking on Remy's door. "Hey Rem, you in there?"  
  
"'Old on petite," Remy called back. "Remy jus' gettin' outta de shower," A few moment later Remy opened the door, wearing his boxers and shirt. He grinned at Milana, who rolled her eyes and then smiled herself.  
  
"I'm coming," she said. Remy's smile broadened. "But I'm redecorating that apartment, and you're gonna get a job."  
  
"Aw chere, your killin' Remy," Remy joked. "No more t'ieving?"  
  
"Maybe a little, but only once in a while. And I'm not killing you, because if I was you'd already be buried, I don't mess around with stuff like that." Remy grinned.  
  
"Ah petite, knock y'self out." He said. "It make Remy feel more't home."  
  
"Great, all the feminine purples and pinks I want!" Milana said, turning around. Remy sat up straight.  
  
"Hold up chere, ya never said nuttin 'bout pink t'ings," he said. Milana stuck out her tongue at him.  
  
"Yuk, no way I'm using pink stuff!" she said. "You're too girly for your own good Rem," she laughed and ran out the door as Remy threw his damp towel at her.  
  
"Now to pack," she sighed, slowing to a walk right before she turned the corner to her room... and crashed straight into Logan.  
  
"Sorry," Milana muttered, backing off immediately. Logan looked at her, a small package in his hands.  
  
"Uh, Chuck wanted me teh give ya this," he said, holding out the package. Milana looked at it for a moment, then took it.  
  
"Thanks," she said, going to move around him when Logan's hand shot out and grabbed her wrist. Milana jumped, not expecting the movement, and Logan immediately let go.  
  
"Sorry," he grunted. Then he paused and Milana slightly backed up. "Look kid, what I did- it was crap of me," another pause, "I'm sorry." Milana looked at Logan straight in the eyes and nodded slowly.  
  
"Thanks," she said, then turned and hurried away to her room. Once inside she closed the door and went over and sat on her bed, then slowly unwrapped the package. She recognized the small device immediately, it was an image inducer. The professor knew and was giving her what she told Kurt she'd get so she could live in the city in relative safety. The professor had given his acknowledgment, and now all Milana had to do was pack... and leave. 


	19. The Bad Way to Leave

It was morning. Milana opened her eyes and one of the first things she saw was her bag. She had only packed one, only needed one, and didn't need anything else but what was in that one bag. Looking at it she thought it was funny that one little bag had taken so long to pack, though perhaps it was because she was so tired, thinking of the conversation she had had days before about what had happened to her during the two weeks she was missing. No one had been sure if the drug was also a controlling one, if Mystique had given Milana another drug for that purpose, or if somehow the Brotherhood found out about her and Kurt and another shape shifter to play the role of Milana. These uncertainties had been the basic reason why some people in the mansion still didn't buy Milana's story or completely believe her anymore.  
  
Back in the present Milana looked at the clock, and cursed. The bright red letters flashed 7:34 at her as she bolted out of bed and grabbed her clothes, pulling them on and then rushing out the door, pausing only to grab her bag.  
  
"Whoa, de petite goes fas' now," Milana looked around and smiled, Remy was leaning against the wall in the hall and walked up, shuffling his cards.  
  
"Sorry, overslept." She said. "Common, let's get outta here." Remy arched an eyebrow.  
  
"Wit no food or g'byes?" he said. Milana stared at him.  
  
"You really want me to say goodbye to the whole mansion?" she said. Remy nodded. "But then I'd have to explain why I was leaving and where I was going and who I was going with!"  
  
"Is dat bad?" Remy asked. Milana rolled her eyes.  
  
"No, fine, I'll just go right down and announce that I'm leaving in a few minutes because I still feel like I'm blamed for Mystique and Magneto nearly killing the X Men, including my father, and that instead of staying in the school with the people who saved my life and pulled me out of living hell I'm going to go live in New York city with a man I've barely known a week." She took a breath. "You want me to tell them that?"  
  
"Course not," Remy laughed. "Remy say petite tell de others she goin' t' live with Remy in de Big Apple cause she needs t' move on in de world and den she sits an' eats breakfes', den we leave." Milana stared at Remy, who grinned back and then bent down, grabbing Milana's small bag and marching down the hall.  
  
"Remy! No! Where are you going, you stupid Cajun? Come back!" Milana chased after Remy, who started to run, laughing as he swung her bag around by the handle. Milana chased him all the way down the stairs and another hall, not paying attention to where they were going until she leapt, hitting him in the back with a flying tackle and sending both crashing through a doorway.  
  
"Ak!" Remy shouted, laughing as they rolled to a stop. Milana also chuckled until she looked up and realized the pair had just crashed into the cafeteria, and most of the school was looking at them, mouths open and with startled expressions seemingly frozen on their faces.  
  
"Remy, shut up!" Milana hissed, standing up. Remy was almost giggling as he tossed the bag up to Milana, who grabbed it out of mid air and glared at him.  
  
-That was an interesting way to make an entrance,- Milana heard the professor also laugh, and the others in the cafeteria also started to chuckle.  
  
"Starting the day off with a bang then?" one boy shouted. Milana sighed and glared at Remy, who also stood up.  
  
"Remy t'ink we be eattin now," he said, going to the large table and grabbing two seats, patting one and sitting in the other. Milana blushed, though it was unnoticed, and sat down, muttering under her breath.  
  
"I will kill you," she said. "As soon as we leave." But Remy ignored the statement and passed Milana a plate of pancakes, which she refused.  
  
"Hey Mil, what's up?" Rogue asked from across the table. It was clear she was trying to make conversation, but Milana didn't respond, letting Jubilee, who sat to Rogue's left, speak up.  
  
"Nothin, she's down killing Remy," Jubilee laughed. Kitty and Rogue also laughed, and Remy grinned.  
  
"No one killin Remy, chere," the Cajun said. "Remy livin t' find himself de meanin' of life."  
  
"Sex," Kitty said, grabbing a pitcher of orange juice. Everyone stared at her and she turned red. "Well, that's what some researchers think! Not my fault Jean made us watch those dumb 'Why Sex?' movies!" Remy, Jubilee, and Rogue started to laugh.  
  
"No, really! The whole meaning for us to be here is to pass our genes onto offspring and help the survival of the species." Kitty said, returning to her drink. A bit down the table Logan grunted.  
  
"If I were you I'd shut up before I said somethin really stupid half-pint," he said. Kitty scowled at him and the others laughed, except Milana, who was staring at her empty plate.  
  
-Remy's right, you should tell the others you are leaving today,- Xavier said in Milana's head.  
  
-Good morning professor, thanks for the inducer.- she replied.  
  
-Milana.- He only said her name, but it was full of meaning.  
  
-I can't, what would I say?-  
  
-The truth,- Xavier said. Then he felt Milana's frustration and slight agitation in a wave, then she pulled herself together to answer.  
  
-I can't, it'll be easier to just leave and be done with it.- Milana glanced up the table and then saw Xavier, he was sitting at the head and looking directly at her, hands folded in front of him.  
  
-Easier for you, but what am I to tell them? What is your father going to say?- Xavier asked. -Running is easiest for the runner, who is most blind to it's effects.-  
  
-I'm not- Milana stopped. -Fine then, I'm a runner. So what? If someone were allergic to tenseness they'd never be able to live here, or be in the same room as me. It will be easier for everyone when I go, no one will worry about blowing blown up when they see me coming or fear entering a room I exit. It's the best way to fix this.-  
  
-Is it?- Xavier asked. -What of Kurt? Do you think it will be easier on him?- Milana shifted uncomfortably as Remy and her old friends continued to talk.  
  
-He, he's one.- she said.  
  
-And you think I will not miss you? Your friends? The other X Men?-  
  
-Logan won't miss me,- Milana said. -Neither will Scott. The one thing they agree on.- Xavier sighed.  
  
-Logan apologized to you, he feels bad about his actions. So has Scott, who is embarrassed about doubting you at all.- Xavier said. Then he picked up a thought about the night before with Logan. -No, I only told him to take the image inducer to you. He didn't know what it was, he apologized on his own.- Milana sighed, realizing the professor was right.  
  
-I'll tell my friends,- she said. Down the table Xavier nodded at her, then closed the link. Milana looked at her three friends and cleared her throat quietly.  
  
"Um, I've got to tell you something, but you have to keep it quiet for now," she said. All three teenagers and Remy looked at her and smiled, Remy arching an eyebrow.  
  
"Yeah?" Rogue asked. Milana looked at them.  
  
"I'm leaving," she said. "Leaving the school. I'm going to go live with Remy in the city after breakfast is over, providing it doesn't take all day," she said, eyeing Remy's plate which was stacked high with food. Her friends gaped at her until one of them found her voice.  
  
"YOU'RE LEAVING?! TODAY?!" Kitty screeched.  
  
"Shut up!" Milana hissed. But it was too late, every head at the table turned towards her and she glowered at Kitty, who was still staring at her. Milana looked up and saw Xavier looking at her.  
  
-I hope you're happy,- she said.  
  
-Explain to them, it's the only way Milana.- he replied.  
  
-Oh yeah, the only way. Great choice.- she thought-growled. Xavier smiled at her as she nodded. "Yes, I'm leaving." She said.  
  
"What are you talking bout now?" Logan asked, looking up.  
  
"I'm leaving, I'm going to the city," Milana said loudly, looking at him. "Is it a crime? Should I live out my life here?"  
  
"It's because of what happened, isn't it?" Rogue demanded. "You think we don't-" she stopped at the look Milana was giving her.  
  
"Well is it true?" Jubilee demanded. Milana glared at her next.  
  
"I don't feel good here," she said. "And I'm leaving. I'll come back to see Dad and you but there is no way I can stand staying here anymore." She stood up, grabbed her bag, and walked out, Remy springing up to chase after her when Logan grabbed his trench coat sleeve.  
  
"Listen Cajun," the Canadian growled. "If you ever hurt her or let anything happen to her, you'll have me and her father t' deal with, got it?" Remy scowled at him and pulled away, looking at him with narrowed eyes.  
  
"Remy take care o' Lan better den anyone here," he said through gritted teeth. Then he turned and stalked out, leaving behind a very quiet cafeteria.  
  
"I shouldn't have done that, no, I should have just left, Remy, we should have just left and avoided all of them!" Milana said, pacing in front of the front door as Remy hurried up.  
  
"Petite-" Remy tried to interrupt Milana's rapid talk, but failed.  
  
"I told you!" she said again, looking at him. "It was a bad idea going in there, it was your idea! I told you-"  
  
"Lan!" Remy said loudly, grabbing her wrist and spinning her around to face him. "Calm down! You makin' Remy nervous!" Milana closed her eyes and took a deep breath, trying to calm down.  
  
"I'm sorry Rem," she said. "Just not the way I wanted to leave here."  
  
"Milana! Vait!" Milana and Remy turned around to see Kurt hurrying down the hall, something clutched in his hand.  
  
"Dad?" Milana said. Oh man, definitely not the way I wanted to leave, she thought. But as Kurt caught up he wrapped his arms around Milana and hugged her tightly.  
  
"I didn't vont to be too late," he said, releasing her but not taking his arms off her shoulders. "To say goodbye." Milana looked at him as he pressed something into her hand.  
  
"What's this?" she asked, looking at it. Turning it over she saw it was a photograph of a woman, with blonde hair and a beautiful face, soft gray eyes looking down at a bundle of blankets from which a tiny purple face was visible. The woman was sitting in a hospital bed, and an obviously younger Kurt was sitting by her, an arm around the young woman's shoulder. He was laughing and also looking at the baby, a moment right after it was born, right after Milana was born.  
  
"I found it last night," Kurt said. "It vos right after you vere born, in the hospital vere they admitted mutants. That is Maria, your mother." Milana stared at the picture, feeling a tear in her eye and then flinging herself at Kurt again, the picture grasped tightly in her hand.  
  
"Thanks dad," she whispered.  
  
"You vill need it sometimes," Kurt replied. "To remember your mother, and me. I had forgotten about it for a long time."  
  
"Thanks," Milana said again, breaking away and wiping her eyes. "Though I'll never forget you, just because I'm moving away doesn't mean I won't be back you know."  
  
"I hope so," Kurt said. "You vill some then, to see me?"  
  
"All the time," Milana said seriously. Then she smiled. "I'd go nuts with just Remy as company." Remy made a little "Oof!" sound, as if someone had hit him, but then laughed, and Kurt and Milana laughed too. Then Milana looked at the door.  
  
"We'd better go, get to New York by dark," she said. Kurt nodded as she turned and opened the door, Remy going out. Right before Milana followed him she caught Kurt's eye and smiled, her picture still in her hand.  
  
"Bye Milana," Kurt called as she walked away.  
  
"Bye daddy," she called back. Remy grinned at her as they walked down the driveway.  
  
"Remy t'ink dis is gonna be intresting," he said. Milana looked at him.  
  
"What do you mean?" she asked.  
  
"Remy never had a purple girl bein' on his case all de time 'bout keepin his life straight," he said. Milana laughed.  
  
"Well get used to it, you're the one who offered." She said. Just then they both heard a shout, and turning around they saw Kitty, Rogue, and Jubilee on the roof of the mansion, shouting at them.  
  
"G'BYE MILANA!" Kitty screamed, hopping up and down and waving.  
  
"DON'T LET REMY GET INTO TOO MUCH TROUBLE!" Rogue shouted.  
  
"WE'RE COMING OVER TO SEE YOUR APARTMENT AS SOON AS WE GET OUT OF SCHOOL, WHETHER YOU LIKE IT OR NOT!" Jubilee yelled. Milana and Remy started to laugh as the teenagers kept screaming, then they turned and walked away through the gates. Milana looked back at the school, then at Remy, and smiled to herself, Remy was right. This was going to be interesting.  
  
**************************************************************************** *********  
  
Lol, ok, so I got three hyper teenagers on a roof, just telling, I didn't push one off or anything so they're all still ok. Now this could be an ending I suppose, but it's NOT! There is going to be one more chapter, and all I will say about it is, there will be a tragedy in it, so don't miss it! But you'll only get it with reviews, and I also wanted to say, THANK YOU SO MUCH REVIEWERS!!! Y'ALL ARE GREAT! Lol, cuz ya are, and I love getting the reviews, so don't forget to review for the next, and *sniff*, last chapter of Milana, Daughter of Mystery.  
  
Thanks again, y'all are de best!  
  
-Ice Lynx 


	20. Two Years Later

2 YEARS LATER  
  
Milana sat back, breathing hard after the labor she had just been through. Jean smiled at her.  
  
"Great job," she said. "You did wonderfully." Milana smiled back.  
  
"So what is it?" she asked. "Lily or Remy Jr.?" Jean laughed at the name Milana's husband had chosen if the baby were a boy, and then hank, wrapping the tiny body in blankets, walked over.  
  
"It's Remy Jr.," he said, chuckling. "A healthy little Remy that will no doubt be as much trouble as his father. He even has his eyes."  
  
"Let me hold him," Milana said, taking her baby in her arms. Remy Jr. looked up at her with big Red and black eyes, indeed just like Remy Sr.'s, and Milana smiled. "Yeah, but look at this," she said proudly, nodding at the baby's head, where there was already the makings of purple hair. Jean laughed.  
  
"Oh boy, a Remy with purple hair," she said. "But he's cuter than the old Remy." All three laughed at that when they heard a knock on the door.  
  
"Is Lan ok?" Remy called. "Are you done? Remy wants t' see 'is famly!" Hank looked at the two women and smiled.  
  
"Maybe we should let him wait a little while longer, teach him patience," the doctor said. Milana laughed.  
  
"He'd get someone to open the door for him," she said. "You can't keep Remy out of anywhere he wants to go." Jean nodded and used her telekinetic powers to unlock the door, which Remy fell through. He immediately sprang to his feet and was at Milana's side in an instant.  
  
"Petite!" he cried, overjoyed when he saw the baby staring back at him. Milana laughed.  
  
"Shh," she said. "Don't scare Remy Jr.!" Remy laughed and kissed her on the forehead, then picked up the child.  
  
"Aw chere, he looks jus' like Remy!" he said happily. "Though he got your hair an' nose." Remy Jr. yawned, his mouth stretching open. Hank looked over and chuckled.  
  
"He shares his father's mouth," he added. Just then the door opened and Kurt, Kitty, Jubilee, Rogue, Logan, Xavier, and Scott rushed in, all looking at the baby and Milana.  
  
"Milana!" Kurt said, rushing over to his daughter. "Did it-?"  
  
"Everything went find, dad," Milana said. "I mean, grandpa." Kurt laughed, and then he stood and walked over to Remy, who was surrounded by the women, who were all cooing and giggling as they looked at the baby. Remy grinned at Kurt and held out his son to the blue man.  
  
"Remy t'ink dis de cutest baby I ever seen," Remy said happily. "Jus' like 'is mama when she was a lil baby." Kurt nodded and took Remy Jr. in his arms, looking down at him and smiling when he saw the purple hair.  
  
"I vill agree, except for Milana," Kurt said, chuckling. Xavier and Scott looked at the baby and then went over to Milana and asked if she was alright.  
  
"Yeah, and ready to get up," she replied.  
  
"No, sorry, not yet," Hank said immediately. Milana rolled her eyes but laughed.  
  
"So are we now going to have to deal with two Remy's?" Xavier asked.  
  
"Yeah, and I was wondering if, when Remy Jr. starts school, he could come here?" Milana asked.  
  
"Of course," Xavier said. "But you'll have a while to wait and figure everything out."  
  
"Who chose the name again?" Scott asked. Milana grinned.  
  
"I chose the name for a girl, Remy for the boy. It figures now I'll have to look out for two Remy's."  
  
"An' they don't get better with age," Logan said, coming over. Milana nodded.  
  
"Nope, they get worse," she said. By now Kitty, Ororo, and Jean had held the baby and Rogue and Jubilee were waiting non too patiently for their turn when Hank pulled out a camera.  
  
"Alright now, we need the family to get over by Milana for the picture," he said.  
  
"But we didn't get to hold him!" Jubilee said. Hank stared at her for a moment and she backed down, and Remy Jr. was returned to Milana, Kurt and Remy standing on either side of her.  
  
"Say cheese," Hank said.  
  
"Cheese," Remy called out, making some of the girls snicker as the flash momentarily blinded him. Hank looked at the camera.  
  
"Whoops, forgot the flash. Milana blinked.  
  
"That's alright," she laughed.  
  
"Alright, now it's my turn to hold him!" Rogue said, pushing the others out of the way and taking Remy Jr. in her arms. "Hey little guy!" she crowed. The little boy looked up at her with wide eyes and then grabbed at the white streak in her hair. "Whoa!" the teen called out. Milana laughed as Rogue passed the baby to Jubilee.  
  
"Wow, he's pretty active for just being born!" Jubilee commented as the little hand reached out for her hair.  
  
"'Course he is, he's half LeBeau and half Wagner!" Kitty said. Milana grinned, watching her friends continue to pass the child around until he once again returned to her. She looked at her baby and smiled, leaning her head on Remy's arm when the Cajun picked it up and wrapped it around her.  
  
"I love you," Milana said, looking up at him and smiling.  
  
"Remy loves ya too," he answered. "An' I'm gonna teach Remy Jr. how t' fight wid a Bo staff when he's able t' walk, so de petite gets two fightin' Remy's t' deal wit, ha ha!" Milana scowled at him.  
  
"All what you think, LeBeau," she answered. "Remy Jr. isn't going to learn any fighting till he's old enough, and that's when I say he is. I'm thinking twenty, professor, what's your opinion?" Xavier chuckled.  
  
"Twenty still sounds a bit young, perhaps thirty?" he replied. Remy laughed and kissed Milana on the forehead again.  
  
"Lan a good fibber," he said. "Remy almost t'ink you serous for a moment."  
  
"Oh, I'm serious," Milana said with a straight face. "This kid is growing up clean, no fighting for him." Everyone in the room laughed at that, the thought of Remy's child growing up not learning how to fight made even Kurt and Logan chuckle. While Milana talked with her friends and father, Remy Jr. drifted off to sleep, not knowing his father was already making plans to find or make his son a small Bo staff.  
  
**************************************************************************** *******  
  
Just in case any of you were wondering, the tragedy is that Remy is now going to be chased around the mansion whenever he visits for news of his kid, not his looks. Poor Remy, but he's got a kid, yay, and thanks for all the reviews! I hope you liked this story, it was fun to write, even if it did take forever, lol. And have a good day! 


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